


Then Perish!

by nyanunix



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Anger, Canon-Typical Violence, Comfort, Did i spell that right, Drunk Shenanigans, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Healing, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protagonist is not Inquisitor (Dragon Age), Romance, Serious Injuries, Smut, Some Fluff, Tags Are Hard, this is an excuse for me to write cute shit, this is my first fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-06-23 03:50:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 48,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15597666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyanunix/pseuds/nyanunix
Summary: A healer mage, with an interesting and traumatic history, finds herself as a part of the Inquisition, as one of their most skilled healers.





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> hey! so, this is my first fic. ever. not promising scheduled updates, consistent chapter length, etc., it's more of a 'let me have an angry character so i'm no quite so angry' sort of deal. i don't know how to use tags, really. anyway, have a chapter. maybe more will show up later.

In Haven, security wasn’t always very tight. The Inquisition there was still young, led only by the hands of the Divine, perhaps a diplomat, maybe a commander. She slipped in without much hassle. Aries had been a waif of a woman, though she was nearly thirty summers old; you could undoubtedly have counted her ribs and the bones of her spine.    
  
All she carried was the clothes on her back - a worn cloak for travelling, a tunic and pair of pants, and a comfortable but also worn pair of leather boots - and a knapsack with a small amount of food and several bundles of the rarest herbs she owned. Aries didn’t even have a staff, as she would have had to deal with far too many attacks by templars because of it. As it stood, she had been harassed on the road multiple times and was somewhat injured. Bruises on her face and a split lip were all that remained, however.    
  
Aries was a skilled healer, after all. The only reason she’d left herself at all injured was to save energy and herbs. There would surely be wounded at Haven, she reasoned, and she was all too correct. She walked carefully and lightly, but knew she would eventually have to find someone in charge . . . ugh. A voice cut through her thoughts, though.   
  
“Oi! You, elf, what are you doing here?” The voice was coming from one of the guards by the gate, and Aries nearly froze in place. It had been a long time since anyone had dared refer to her as ‘elf’.    
  
She turned around to look the man in the face and strode over, back straight as a rod. Aries was going to get what she wanted. “I’m here to join this Inquisition, of course,” she said, lifting her chin and crossing her arms. “I assume you’re not going to cast away a healer, especially not one so skilled as I. If you’d be so kind as to escort me to whomever handles healers . . .” Trailing off, she stared the guard down. He was younger than her; couldn’t be more than seventeen. The steely glint in her black eyes was dangerous, and he undoubtedly knew it well, from his superiors. Possibly from his mother.   
  
He bent his head slightly, breaking eye contact, and Aries nodded. An elf had probably not addressed him in a manner as she had, but everyone had to learn sometime. When he gestured for her to follow, she fell into step beside him, and they walked briskly to a makeshift tent, pitched over a few tables. A number of women stood under it, all going about separate tasks, and the guard pointed out one in particular before leaving without a word.    
  
Aries made her way to the woman, who was wearing what she deemed to be quite a strange hat (though, having spent most of her life in Orlais, she wasn’t sure if she could judge other people’s fashion choices as being ridiculous), and tapped her shoulder gently to get her attention.   
  
Before she could get a word out, the woman was already talking. “Elf? Okay, head to the kitchen, they can use all the help they can get. If anyone calls you a knife-ear or a rabbit, come to me; we don’t tolerate harassment here,” she began, but Aries was giving her quite a look, and eventually she stopped.   
  
“Thank you for assuming I’m a servant,” Aries said, hands on her hips and looking quite put out. “My name is Aries. I’m a very skilled healer.” She neglected to mention being a mage, perhaps, but it didn’t need to be common knowledge.   
  
The woman blinked a time or two before regaining her train of thought. “Oh! I apologize. I’m Threnn, our quartermaster. We’re quite painfully short on healers, at the moment, and none we have are particularly skilled. You should head over to the middle cottage, up those stairs - you see where that bald elf is standing? - behind him, it’s where our healers have set up,” she explains, pointing in the correct direction. “Solas - that’s the elf - has been in charge of them, but he’s needed for the fighting, and healing isn’t his specialization anyway. If you’re as skilled as you claim, I’m sure they’ll appreciate some direction, and Solas will appreciate not having to watch them all the time.”   
  
“Thank you, Quartermaster,” Aries said, voice still somewhat frosty from the offense. It seemed that although they seemed to be kinder to the elves, here, they were still mostly servants. How nice. She strode over and up the stairs, then hesitated, unsure whether she should head directly inside, or explain her directions to this elf - Solas.    
  
The choice was made for her, though, in the form of Solas approaching her. As she got a closer look at his face, Aries determined that he was fairly attractive and quite tall for an elf. He had no vallaslin, but his foot wraps and choice of clothing indicated a life outside of city walls. Her study was interrupted by him talking. “You’re new around here,” he said, seeming quite calm about it. Judging by his eyes, he seemed to be doing his own study of her.    
  
Aries looked somewhat unusual for an elf, after all. Her eyes were pitch black except for the whites, and her hair was also black, shaved on one side. Pale skin didn’t match the darker tones of the Dalish or Vints. And she was frighteningly thin after all of her travelling. “How astute of you,” she answered, raising an eyebrow. “I’ve been told you’re Solas? I’m a healer; the Quartermaster sent me to find the others. She’s of the opinion they likely aren’t as skilled as I am. Fourteen years of experience tend to make one pretty good at something, yeah?”   
  
“Indeed,” Solas agreed. “I’m sure she also informed you that I’ve been in charge of them so far? I’m a mage and I know some healing, but my time is better spent studying the Breach than trying to herd a few humans that don’t want me to teach them how to set bones.”   
  
Aries laughed ruefully at that, but she remembered her first clinic, just outside the alienage of Val Royeaux. It had attracted some poorer humans, but they quickly got rude. Her bedside manner had never been great, and it only went downhill when she was having to deal with snide comments about how surprising it was that an elf had such extensive knowledge of healing. “I understand. I’m almost concerned about how they’ll react to having to learn from another elf, especially if it’s humans,” she responded. This Solas had a nice voice - she really wouldn’t mind standing there and talking to him for longer, but she had things to do, and likely he did as well, if ‘standing around looking bored’ was what he needed to do.   
  
“Threnn likely gave you the spiel about coming to her if someone bothers you,” Solas began, looking Aries up and down. It was likely he thought that such a small woman couldn’t take care of herself. “But if the healers give you trouble, feel free to let me know about it. Now, I’m sure you’re in a hurry.” It was a clear dismissal, and made her wonder just how powerful Solas was, in Haven.    
  
He carried a staff. He was a mage. Aries tensed and only just caught herself, refusing to flinch. She’d completely overlooked it in her haste. If he noticed, he didn’t indicate it, and she moved swiftly to the door of the cottage, already hearing women’s voices. As she entered, she took in the cots, along both walls, and the tables where herbs and tools sat, waiting to be used. It was suddenly so familiar that she desperately wanted to think it was her own.    
  
As Aries walked in, though, three pairs of eyes shot up to examine her. Human women. “Do you need healing?” one asked. She had red hair, Aries noted, hoping that would help her remember the woman’s name later.    
  
“No, actually. I’ve just arrived. The Quartermaster sent me,” Aries said, setting her bag beside one of the tables. “I’m a healer, and I’ve been doing it for fourteen years, longer if you count my training period. Solas spoke to me on the way in. What have we been dealing with so far?”   
  
The redheaded woman squirmed slightly under Aries’s gaze. “How . . . great. I’m Tess; I’ve been healing for a year or so now. Emma and Ruth have just been here since they joined, neither has professional experience,” she said, clearly annoyed but unable to do anything about it. None of the women looked to be as old as Aries. The eldest, Tess, was maybe in her mid-twenties, and the youngest, Emma, barely eighteen. They were quite possibly the wives or daughters of soldiers.   
  
Tess continued, debriefing Aries on the situation. “Demons were pouring out of the Breach until that other elf showed up. According to the rumors, she was the only survivor of the explosion at the Conclave. Solas has been tending to her, but if you’re skilled, it may get passed to you. We have lots of wounded soldiers and not a lot of room, so here we have the men that need the most care. Less severe injuries are elsewhere,” she explained.   
  
Aries was already at home in the small clinic, and walked down the middle of the rows, inspecting injuries and how they’d been cared for. “So far, you’ve been doing fairly well,” she said, finally, despite knowing that hearing something like that from an elf would rub all three women the wrong way. Perhaps there was no point in antagonizing her new coworkers . . . but it was fun. “Tess, you should stay here and keep an eye on all the patients. Come get me if anything happens or you find yourself unsure of what to do. Ruth, Emma, you two can accompany me to the rest of the men that need care. A little more training never hurt anyone.” Her orders were clear and calm. Emma scrambled to get supplies, and Aries helped her; by the time they walked out the door, they had plenty to attend to anyone that needed attending.   
  
“None of you are mages, right?” she asked, as the trio passed Solas again. His eyes skipped over her, then came back to give her a raised eyebrow. Both girls shook their heads, and Aries sighed slightly. “Great. Okay, that was more sarcastic than I meant it to be. Lots of soldiers are scared of mages, especially ones not in a Circle . . . oh, here we are.”   
  
She looked out over the rows of makeshift cots and bedrolls. The Breach was sealed, maybe, but she had a lot of work to do. And she hadn’t even been assigned quarters yet.   
  
Aries nodded and made her way over to the first untreated man she saw, both of her new students in tow. “Now, this isn’t a very complex injury, so Emma, how about you treat it? I want to get an idea of where you’re both at. If we get to something you don’t know how to do, or you’re doing incorrectly, I’ll help you.”   
  
The rest of the day went like that, teaching the younger healers and doing a fair bit of work. They broke for lunch and then dinner, but the work of healers never really stopped, so Aries ended up working late into the night, until Emma was yawning more than actually working. Then she forced them all to bed and returned to the main healer’s cottage, where she retrieved her bag. During their healing, she’d been found by a messenger and given the location of her quarters.   
  
As soon as she was there, she noted the small pile of clothes and other necessities that were provided for her, but fell asleep nearly as soon as she was horizontal. Tents weren’t very comfortable . . . but it was better than the ground.


	2. Organization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow another

Aries awoke with a start, momentarily confused as to where she was and what had woken her. As her eyes adjusted, the woman took in the brown cloth above her, the sounds and smells filtering in from outside the tent. She was in Haven, with the Inquisition. It had been her tent-mate that had disturbed her rest, looking a little concerned. “It’s time for breakfast,” the girl supplied when Aries’s gaze fell to her. “And you seemed to be having a nightmare.”

 

She considered that and sat up to change her tunic, unconcerned with her modesty in a manner almost similar to the attitudes of the Dalish. A little fresher - though she still wanted for a bath - she stood and changed her undergarments and pants before stepping out of the tent. The woman that had woken her was already outside, standing somewhat anxiously in the snow. A fresh coat seemed to have fallen overnight, but it had already been trampled down by however many servants and soldiers had already been through that morning.

 

“I don’t recall a nightmare, but I appreciate you waking me,” Aries said, finally awake enough for proper speech. She was not a morning person in the least, but it was too early, and her status too uncertain, to be snapping at everyone around her. “Could you show me where we get breakfast? Oh, I’m Aries. I arrived yesterday, and I am a healer.” As she spoke, she was still adjusting one of her boots, but no one even bothered giving her a strange look.

 

The woman nodded at this new information and seemed to understand that in giving her name and position, Aries was asking for her own. “It’s this way, follow me,” she said, before continuing, “and my name is Bethany. So far I’ve just been doing anything asked of me. It’s a lot of cleaning and ferrying messages around, but I do get all the good gossip.” Bethany giggled slightly at that, leading Aries into the vast, imposing, stone building that she realized belatedly was a Chantry. She was not religious, but did nothing more than purse her lips slightly, giving her an expression that could be attributed to the early hour. 

 

There were banners down the walls displaying what she could only assume were symbols relevant to the faith, but they were fewer and between the pillars that lined the sides of the room. Bright torches illuminated the mill of people inside - perhaps fewer than would be later in the day, but for the moment, there was quite a crowd as everyone attempted to get some food and get to work. Aries got to take in the scene for barely a moment before she felt herself dragged to the side - Bethany had grabbed her by the wrist when Aries hadn’t noticed her change in direction - and toward an open door.

 

Even more people stood inside the room, though it was smaller and far hotter and as a result, Aries began feeling claustrophobic immediately. It appeared to be a kitchen, she managed to notice, through her rising panic. Her companion was prattling incessantly about some piece of gossip, but the woman could barely hear anything. All the sound in the room had become muted in her ears, and darkness threatened the edge of her vision. She needed to get out, right then, but knew she couldn’t.

 

Aries was shaking as a bowl of what appeared to be oatmeal was pushed into her hand, and Bethany only sensed her distress when she almost dropped it. She began talking, but the elf couldn’t hear her, and eventually was forced to drag her from her place by the hand. They made their way quickly back outside, where the shock of cold air and the reduced noise served to bring Aries to the present. Out of her memories of the crowded kitchen back in Tevinter where she worked nearly all hours of the day or night. Away from the feeling of burns and cuts on her hands, and back to Haven, which was far from a hand meeting her face on countless occasions over her mistakes. 

 

“-ou okay? Aries, you have to breathe,” she heard, finally. Bethany’s voice faded into clarity once more.

 

Aries let her eyes focus back on the woman and blinked a few times, trying to look reassuring. “I - sorry, Bethany. I’m fine,” she said, working hard to still her hand that still shook under the weight of her bowl. “It must . . . I didn’t really eat much yesterday, and I’m very tired from traveling.” The excuse worked, and they walked away from the main door and toward the cottage that contained the clinic. Bethany was still talking, now about her own journey to Haven, and Aries welcomed the distraction as they leaned against the side of a building and ate. 

 

When they finished, she didn’t expect Bethany to take her bowl and stack it on top of her own. “I’ll take this back for you. Best get to work - I’m sure I’ll see you later,” she explained and then left, snow crunching under her feet. Aries stood still for a moment, then shook her head slightly and made her way up the few stone steps to the semicircle of huts where she now worked. Now that she had more time to look around, she did. Three stood there, with a cart in the middle that had once had supplies in it. All were made of stone and looked similar. From the Chantry, the ground was level where they stood, but coming from the direction of what appeared to be a tavern - the same building she’d eaten breakfast beside - the dirt was held up with a small stone wall, and stairs allowed passage. 

 

Solas stood between the stairs and the rightmost house, where the clinic was. He had been in the same place yesterday, and Aries hadn’t expected to see him there again. It seemed that all he did really was just stand there. With a barely perceptible shrug, she walked over; he had already seen her, and it wouldn’t be polite to ignore him. Though, after the morning she’d already had, Aries couldn’t say the idea of just being rude didn’t appeal to her. 

 

“Aries. Good morning,” he said, as she approached, and it gave her pause. He raised an eyebrow at her, but Aries continued walking forward, already annoyed by the ankle-deep snow. Here, it hadn’t been trodden down and was quite beautiful, but she was in no mood for the cold.

 

She tried for a smile, but the early hour and her earlier issue caused it to falter nearly as soon as she attempted it. “Good morning, Solas. It’s quite interesting that you know my name, yet I don’t recall telling you what it was,” she managed to say, without sounding as angry as she was.

 

He laughed. How in the world was he in such a mood for laughing at this god-awful hour of the morning? Aries scowled before she could school her face into disciplined blankness. It was barely a laugh, really, more of an amused chuckle, and though she did like it quite a bit, it didn’t lighten her mood. “I know because I asked,” he finally said. “Did you have any trouble yesterday? You shouldn’t; it would be difficult for anyone to try and claim that they are somehow more suited to taking charge of the healers than you are.”

 

That did get a small smile out of her. Aries was immediately feeling put out that he’d made her smile when her mood this sour, but did nothing to hide it. “No, no trouble yet. Emphasis on yet. Thank you for your support - though I must ask,” she answered, “what is your place here, that as soon as I mentioned having spoken to you, those women didn’t even try arguing?”

 

Solas looked at her for a moment in silence. It was still somewhat dark, but she could see his face clearly enough, and it was as studiously blank as she could make hers on occasion. Before the silence could become awkward, though, he answered, “It is of little import. I do have a request to make of you, however. I have been tending the elven women that fell out of a rift a few days ago - the one that sealed the breach.” His voice lowered, though no one was around to hear him, as if this was some great secret. “I have tended to her to the best of my ability, and I do not suspect anything more than exhaustion as the reason she’s been asleep for so long, but I would appreciate it if you were to go by the cottage she is staying in to examine her. Surely, she would be more comfortable with another woman caring for her, and you may uncover something that I have missed.”

 

Aries looked at him, making eye contact for as long as she could before speaking, much in the manner he had only a few minutes prior. “Of course. Please, come to get me when you’re ready for me to do so, but I’d like to check on those in the clinic. You’ll need to tell me what you’ve already done, so far as tests and exams go, and seeing any notes you have on her condition would be helpful.” She wanted to be rude, but it was a request for another elf woman, here, virtually alone and defenseless. And it wouldn’t take too much of her time. Solas simply nodded to her and turned away, returning to his favorite pastime: standing by the healer’s cottage and doing nothing.

 

As she considered it, his suggestion that she at least looked at the woman made sense. Her early arrival and years of experience put her in place to quickly take control of the rest of the healers as the Inquisition grew, and Solas was giving her time to care for someone that would undoubtedly be important. At the same time, it protected the reputation of the elven woman somewhat. Having someone that appeared to be a man, an elf, and an apostate as the sole caretaker of an important person in a town of humans that hated both elves and mages would look bad, while Aries herself had told no one of her magic, so she, as a woman and a long-time healer, would be a better fit for protecting a reputation.

 

Someone anticipated that the woman’s reputation would need protecting. How interesting.

 

Aries entered the healing cottage as she thought it over and was startled by how much she had missed of the interior in her exhaustion of the previous day. Two long tables took up nearly the entire wall when one walked in. Space between them and the wall, beside the door, held a coat rack and some bags. The tables were on the line between ‘cluttered but organized’ and ‘absolute mess’ with herbs, bandages, mortars and pestles, small bowls, jars and vials of all sizes, and loose sheets of paper. 

 

There was only one room in the cottage, and cots filled two opposite walls, heads against the stone and feet pointing to the center ‘aisle’. There was enough room between each for someone to squeeze in and care for a patient, but only just. And each was occupied. None of the men in them seemed to be in immediate pain; she could only see one that was awake, and he was staring at the ceiling, blinking rarely. Aries went to check on him, but he quietly insisted he didn’t need anything, so she returned to the tables and began organizing them, more out of habit than anything. 

 

She didn’t realize how much she had done until Tess walked in. Her eyes widened, and it was clear she was displeased but dared not raise her voice for fear of disturbing the sleeping men. “Aries!” she whispered, “What have you done?”

 

Aries raised an eyebrow, her expression as dry as the desert. “I organized, Tess,” she whispered back. “Surely you’ve heard of it? You know, just making sure you don’t mix up potions or anything of the sort.” 

 

Tess looked like she wanted to say more, but chose instead to simmer in anger and walk around, checking on each man as he slept while Aries sorted through the pile of papers. Many were recipes, and she read them over, using a quill and ink she had found to make notes on them in small, neat writing. Others were details on the treatments given to specific people, noted quite helpfully with the positioning of the cot they were in. These, she sorted by their cots and set aside. 

 

Emma and Ruth made their way in eventually and took in the newly cleaned tables, but both wisely chose to say nothing of it. It was wise of them; the more she put away, the more anxious Aries got until she finally had to step outside after tersely suggesting to the younger girls that they go and check on the less severely injured men. 

 

She pulled herself up so that she was sitting on the wagon, legs dangling off the back. She was short, even for an elf. Aries rolled her shoulders and neck, bending her back this way and that to work out any stiffness she’d gotten from leaning over the table for most of the morning. Solas was watching her, and she didn’t even notice until she glanced over at him. He had an inquisitive expression, but it was gone so quickly she could have imagined it, and he walked to the wagon.

 

“Hello, Solas,” she said before he could greet her. She must have sounded annoyed, but he didn’t say anything, thankfully. “Apparently, organizing is just the end of the world.” Aries could have sworn she saw the corner of his mouth lift in a tiny smile before he answered her.

 

“Obviously. How could anything get done without every paper you have scattered on your desk?” he asked, and it took her a moment to realize he was joking. The delivery had been so deadpan she almost thought he was serious. It did lessen her aggravation, though, so she shrugged, and he continued, “If you’re ready to be out of there for a few moments, I can take you to your newest patient.”

 

Aries nodded and slid down off the wagon, letting Solas take the lead as he explained what he had already done to her in the hopes of hastening her recovery. All of it was things she had done before and would do again, though she noted he had done no thorough physical examinations. He did seem the type to be concerned about someone’s modesty.

 

In time, they arrived across the town at a cottage that looked on the outside very much like the one the clinic took up, though distinctly larger. Aries immediately decided that it made no sense for one person to have a larger cottage than an entire clinic, but did not voice the thought.

 

They stepped inside, leaving the door open behind them. It had been made to look like two rooms, though there was no door between them; instead, just a large and intentional gap in the wall. Beyond that stood a desk with a cage and a bird, for reasons Aries could not fathom, and a large bed with the still and small form of an elven woman in it. Her hand glowed softly green.

 

Aries went to the desk first, reading the notes set on it. Reading and writing were both skills she had learned later in life, as it was necessary for her to do so in Orlais. “I agree, exhaustion seems the most likely culprit,” she finally said, and walked over to the bed. Her voice was soft, but waking the girl up seemed unlikely.

 

“If you would step out, I can check her over,” she added, and Solas needed no more convincing. He stepped outside the door and, thankfully, closed it, leaving her alone in the house. With little time wasted, she carefully removed the elf from the blankets and then her outermost clothes, leaving her in a breastband and underwear for a physical examination. Hopefully, the magic signature from her analysis would be assumed to be a part of Solas’s, and hopefully, he would not notice her probing at the girl from outside. Hopefully.

 

As Solas had informed her, the only physical injuries the girl had stemmed from the fight up the breach and were mostly healed anyway, so she didn’t bother with them. Aries moved precisely and quickly, and when she finished, she tucked the woman back under her blankets and then continued to examine her with magic. The mark on her hand was fascinating and strange, especially to one so untrained as herself, and she would have spent hours just trying to figure out what it was and how it worked.

 

Aries would have, had she not looked to the girl’s face and found her eyes open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was actually intending for this chapter, and the next, to be all one chapter, and then i decided to not do that in favor of splitting them (i'd rather keep my chapters at least roughly even in length).
> 
> i really didn't expect anyone at all to read the first chapter, so if you do read, please comment and let me know what i could be doing better! 
> 
> also, please forgive the weirdness i somehow managed. i had to find a time several days after the inquisition was born (for her to get there), but it's also somewhat plot-important that aries cares for the herald and meets her pretty immediately, so i ended up going with: the inquisition was declared as soon as they all gathered, when the conclave exploded, not after the inquisitor wakes up. she would have fallen out of the rift a few days before this chapter takes place, as the breach was sealed maybe two days before this chapter. if that makes sense. and forgive my descriptions of haven; i've actually just passed that point in my second playthrough so i can't use the game for references, and i can't find any good pictures or maps on the internet.


	3. Herald

The eyes Aries looked into, when the woman opened them, were as green as Solas’s were blue.

“I hope I didn’t wake you,” she said, torn between calling for Solas and making sure everything was fine herself.

The mystery girl didn’t seem very unhappy at being woken, and Aries suspected that her dreams may have been troubling. She had had a very action-packed and worrisome day before she passed out, after all. “You didn’t,” she finally said. “I would have woken anyway. I’m Ava.” Her voice was soft and hesitant, almost afraid.

“I’m Aries. It’s . . . nice to meet you, I suppose, though I’m sure we’d both rather it have been under different circumstances. Are you hungry?” Aries was pleased to see that the girl, Ava, didn’t seem to plan on being a difficult patient, and kept her voice at a whisper. “I’m sure Solas would want me to get him immediately, but if you need some time or want to go back to sleep, I won’t.”

Ava nodded, apparently to indicate her hunger, and Aries looked on the desk before she found a tray of food that had been under a metal cover. The meal consisted of a small amount of bread, and a little - and, in Aries’s opinion, adorable - pot of honey sat beside it. “Here,” she said, handing it over and moving the chair to sit down. “I’m sure whoever that was for won’t mind. You have quite the reputation already. Since you stabilized the breach, it’s been three days. I arrived yesterday, and, as I’m sure you can guess, I’m a healer. There are rumors going around that someone named Andraste saved you from a rift, and that you’re apparently her herald. Like I said, though, I only got here yesterday.” Aries tried to talk slowly and quietly, as to not alarm the girl, but she just sighed.

“Had I not slept for so long, I’d certainly take you up on that nap,” Ava mumbled, “but, alas, I believe I should put some clothes on, and you should get Solas. I believe I met him previously. He helped me seal a rift.”

Aries nodded and gestured to the foot of the bed, where a set of clean clothes sat, presumably left by a servant earlier. “He did mention field work. He’s been taking care of you; I’m only here because this morning he suggested that I may be able to take a better look at you, for injuries and whatnot. Seemed quite concerned about your modesty, though he didn’t say it outright.”

While she spoke, Ava dragged herself out of bed, having to rest a hand against the frame for a moment so as to avoid losing her balance. Once she regained it, though, she wiggled into the provided pants and tunic, though both looked too big for her. Not made for elves. “Ready?”

Ava nodded, once, and picked up the last piece of bread from the tray to eat. Once she had finished with it, Aries called, “Solas! She woke up!”

She watched him return; he must have been standing right outside the door. “I didn’t find any injuries,” she informed him when he looked to her. “But she is exhausted. I know there are things that need to be done, but we can’t let anyone push her until she fully recovers.”

Solas nodded his agreement. “I do have to take her to speak with Leliana and the others, but it should just be talking. Herald, what is your name?”

Ava had silently taken in the exchange, and her confusion was apparent, but when Solas turned to her for a name, she gave it. “Ava. Lavellan. I met you before, but I don’t think we had a lot of time for an introduction. Who is Leliana? And why did you just call me ‘Herald’?”

He considered his answer before he gave it, and when he did, it was brief. “Leliana is our spymaster. I called you that because it is, apparently, your title now,” he said, tone even. “If you’re ready to go, I can take you to the meeting, but we will not be able to go inside with you. Aries, walk with us; I would like to ask you some more questions regarding Ava’s state.”

Both women looked to each other, then back at him, and nodded. Ava, as the Dalish are prone to do, looked as though she intended to go outside without shoes, and Aries had to point a pair out to her before she realized it would still be frozen and snowy outside. Finally ready, the trio stepped outside. Solas stood on Ava’s left and Aries on her right, and like that, they walked back to the Chantry. People that saw them stopped working to get a look at the “Herald,” but luckily, no scene was made, and they got inside without incident.

Aries flinched when they stepped through the doors, and she saw the way Solas’s eyes flicked to her, noting the movement. With any luck, he wouldn’t ask about it later. “Here we are,” he said and pointed to the door at the far end of the main room. “Just through there. They can give you further instruction, but if you begin feeling ill, find one of us.” Ava nodded, and thanked them both, before making her way down the middle of the room and disappearing through the door.

“She seems very polite,” Aries said, more to break the silence than anything. “Like I said, she had no injuries. The mark on her hand, though, was fascinating. I could have spent all day studying it.”

Solas looked at her sideways, and without warning, seized her by the wrist and tugged on her until she followed him outside, looking visibly relieved to no longer be in the imposing building. Once they were out in the snow, he led her to the side and out of earshot of anyone just casually passing by. She found herself facing him, standing under a bare, skeleton-like tree, which fortunately had not managed to gather snow in its branches. His hand was still wrapped around her wrist. “I apologize. You seemed quite uncomfortable, and this is not a conversation that needs to be had where others may be listening.

“I was quite uncomfortable, but that isn’t a conversation I want to have at all,” Aries muttered, glancing to the side and back at him. Concern was not what she had expected, nor was it something she was prepared to deal with. She pulled her arm until he let go, but didn’t walk away. “If you wanted to discuss something else, though, we’ll see.”

Solas nodded, and didn’t press it further. “Of course. If you do decide you’d like to discuss it, feel free. Now, when you were examining Ava, I noticed.” Her eyes went wide, unable to hide the fear. “Don’t look at me like that, Aries, I’m an apostate as well. Every mage in the world is. I won’t be turning you over to the templars.”

Aries breathed, relief washing over her once more. “I appreciate it. I was worried. It’s . . . I . . .” she didn’t seem to know how to finish that sentence, to explain her next statement. “I’ve never had any formal training, and I don’t know any harmful magic. Just healing.”

He was so much taller than her. Taller than any elf she had ever met. But he wasn’t looking down his nose at her like she remembered. From before. Solas considered, then hummed quietly before talking again. “You don’t have any Dalish markings, nor do you dress like the Dalish. But you know no non-healing magic, which you would have learned in a Circle,” he said, though didn’t ask anything. Yet.

“Yes,” Aries said, growing more irate by the moment. “I appreciate your concern, but this is not a conversation we will be having now. Or possibly ever. I doubt you’d like it if I were to start asking questions about your history.” She almost felt sorry for snapping at him, but his face remained as impassive as ever.

A silence stretched between them, and Aries glanced back to the side. It was a nervous type of habit. “I-I should get back to the healers. I’ve no doubt everything’s gone to hell since I’ve been gone,” she managed, already turning to go. Snow started falling again just as she walked into the hut that passed as a clinic, and she felt there was symbolism in that, but brushed it off and got to work.

Nothing had really gone to hell, besides a new “severe injury” soldier having been brought in. Two of the former patients were gone, and Tess explained that she had them moved. They no longer required constant observation, just rest and occasionally to check in and make sure everything was healing correctly.

Luckily, the man had just been brought in. “Aries, I was about to go looking for you,” she admitted. “I feel I’d manage to mess something up.” The healer nodded and rolled up her sleeves, already picking up supplies.

“Looks like . . . that’s pretty nasty,” Aries said, finally bending over him to look. It appeared that his stomach had been sliced open somehow, and the only thing keeping his guts where they belonged was his hand, pressing tight to the wound even in unconsciousness. “How did this even happen? Actually, doesn’t matter. We have to work fast. I need a bucket of warm water and a few rags, get me a needle and whatever you’ve been using for stitches as well.”

There was a pause, in which Tess just looked at her with wide eyes. “Go!” Aries all but shouted, pointing to the tables before turning back to the man. She had to force his hand away from the wound and was then left with holding his skin together herself. Her hands were already covered in blood, but it was just an average day, she thought, and then noticed the fretful-looking man standing on the other side of the cot.

When he noticed he had been, well, noticed, he tried to give her a smile. It came out strained and anxious. “He had a feud with another soldier,” he finally explained. “Challenged him to a duel. Apparently he -” He paused to gesture at the soldier, then resumed, “- made some less than polite comments about the other man’s wife.” Aries made a somewhat disgusted noise in the back of her throat but didn’t stop working, as rags were pressed into her hands and a bucket was set by her feet.

“Thank you, Tess. You should stay and watch; it’s a good opportunity to learn,” Aries said, soaking a rag and then carefully cleaning the wound of blood and grime. When the visible nastiness was washed away, she pressed a hand to each side of the man’s injury and sent a shock of magic through it. It wouldn’t have been painful, as the intent was to clean anything from the actual would cause an infection, and she was already moving to start stitching his skin together when she realized he was awake again.

He was muttering, and for a moment, she didn’t realize it was directed at her. “Get your . . . hands off me. Witch . . . knife ear will probably . . . kill me,” he was saying, among other things that made her want to punch him. Tess looked mildly horrified, and the man that she had spoken to previously had a hand over his face.

Aries really made a noise, then. “Don’t want an elf healing you?” she demanded, dropping the needle onto his stomach and standing up straight, leaving the gaping wound in his abdomen to fall back open. “Then perish!” She narrowly skirted the bucket, and stalked out of the cottage, hands still bloody. And, naturally, Solas is standing outside the door, in his usual spot, looking quite amused.

“Oh, what are _you_ looking at,” she demanded, which only succeeded in making him chuckle.

“You, of course. How could I not? I just heard you yell at a man to ‘perish’ if he wouldn’t accept your help, and watched you charge out, half covered in blood,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

Aries nearly hated it, but she found it difficult to be quite as angry now that she was outside. “He called me a knife-ear. And a witch,” she explained, though she felt it a little unnecessary.

“So you’re going to kill him?” Solas asked, earning a furious look from Aries, who turned her head and spat on the ground to their right.  
She nearly stomped her foot in annoyance but refrained. A tantrum was not befitting for a woman thirty summers old, the head healer of the Inquisition. “No. I suppose not. I do, however, fully intend to slap him into next century when he’s healed,” she snapped, already walking back inside.

Though Aries loathed to do it, she nudged Tess out of the way, where she was doing a poor job of stitches, and finished the job, having to actually take them all out and do them again. Luckily the girl had only gotten part of the way across the vast wound. She did not explain her reappearance, to anyone in the room, just finished with the stitches, and slathered the area with a poultice that seemed to be mostly elfroot before bandaging it as neatly as she could with him unable to sit up.

“If he still feels the same way about elves and mages when he wakes up,” she started, cutting Tess off as soon as the other woman opened her mouth, “I may just kill him. And yes, I have some magic. Healing only. Attempting to turn me in to templars would not go well for you or them.” Apparently, she had answered all of the girl’s unspoken questions, and used the remaining water, bloody as it was, to wash her hands and arms. “You, man, kindly get out. Your friend will be fine.”

The man protested quietly, attempting to deny friendship to the man that has just insulted his healer such, but walked out anyway, and was followed by Aries, who returned to sit on the wagon. She couldn’t imagine what it was for; no one ever seemed to be using it. Solas, as he apparently made his mission to do every time he saw her, wandered over.

“I healed him,” she muttered. “Normally. I’m not wasting mana on a racist when I may need it later for someone worth more than the dirt on my boots.” Solas just hummed softly, as he had earlier, and leaned on the side of the wagon, facing her.

Luckily for both him and her, he didn’t look as if he were gloating when he spoke. “I knew you would. You’re a healer, even if your bedside manner could use some work.” He didn’t say anything else, and they sat together in silence for a few moments, but it was comfortable.

Somehow, they had become something resembling friends. Eventually, though, Aries decided she needed to eat. “Where do we get lunch?” she finally asked, dreading the answer.

“The same place we get breakfast,” Solas answered, and noted the distress immediately visible on her face. “Which I gather is not a great place for you. If you would like, I’ll go get you lunch; I was just about to go get mine anyway. On the condition that while we eat, you explain to me what in the world happened in there that has you so upset.”

Aries wanted to decline, refused to feel or be seen as weak, but the fear of panicking again overpowered her, and all she could do was mutely nod. Solas turned and disappeared into the Chantry; she could still see the doors from where she sat. For a few moments, she was alone.

Having time to think about things was almost always a bad idea. Aries preferred to act on impulse and let the consequences be damned. As she waited, she absently healed a cut on her hand that she didn’t remember getting, but that probably stemmed from sitting on this rickety cart half the time. A bird flew overhead, then another. Three, four. They were ravens, she realized, and all coming from the Chantry.

Aries lazily tracked their progress across the sky until a snowflake fell into her eye; while she blinked the water out, they vanished. It was cold, and she was already starting to hate the snow, but fortunately, Solas was coming back and whatever he was holding was hot enough to be steaming. Beside him, in animated conversation, was Ava, holding another steaming bowl.

The girl only seemed to get more excited when she caught sight of Aries, and jogged over, leaving Solas to walk up more sedately. “Aries! I have so much to _do_ , this is so exciting! I’ve met far too many people, and really I want to take a nap, but Cassandra thinks I should go by the blacksmith and get properly outfitted. And a sword! Or an axe!”

She hopped up onto the wagon, causing it to bounce alarmingly, then scooted back to allow Solas room to sit, as well. Aries pulled her legs up to sit with them crossed and accepted the bowl he handed her, as well as the large mug. At the mention of an axe, they exchanged a look. “Ava, not to be rude, but I have trouble imagining you even lifting an axe,” Aries finally said. “Solas, thank you for the food, but . . .” She paused to sniff the mug and then take a sip. “Solas this is _ale_. It’s lunchtime, and some of us have to do things today.”

Solas just shrugged; he was apparently not drinking anything. “It’s what they gave me. You don’t have to drink it,” he said, and she couldn’t argue with that. “And I was on the battlefield with her. Ava is a little terror. If you knew any combative magic, I imagine you would be, as well.”

Ava cut in, laughing. Her mug of ale was empty, Aries noticed, and she was reaching for the one still in her hand. “Where is the smith, anyway? Aries, Aries you have to come with me!”

She snatched her hand away, with the mug still in it. Ava didn’t need anything else to drink. “How much did you let her _drink,_  Solas? And if you want to teach me, be my guest, but don’t get offended when I accidentally set you on fire,” Aries said, then added, “Ava, I’ll go with you if nothing comes up between now and me finishing this food. But I don’t know where that is, so we may get lost.”

Solas took the mug from Aries, setting it out of either woman’s reach before he answered. “I didn’t let her do anything,” he stated, lifting his chin as if he were offended. “This is no one’s influence but Varric’s. I know you’re joking, but if you do actually wish to learn something, I would be happy to teach you some magic. And the smithy is just outside the main gate, to the left. I will keep an eye on the healers while you’re gone.”

Ava seemed quite delighted at this, and Aries sighed as she finished her food, not even bothering to ask who Varric was. The idea of learning some did appeal to her, however, and she decided to bring it up again, later. “I appreciate it,” Aries said, referring to both of his offers. “Ava, girl, let’s go.”

Before, she had been preoccupied with examinations, and then with getting her straight when she woke up, but now, Aries had time to actually look at Ava, and see what she really looked like. The most noticeable feature about her was her hair. It was as white as snow and reached down to her lower back. Her eyes were piercingly green, as they had been when she woke, and her skin was somewhat tanned, though possibly still pale for a Dalish. Her vallaslin curled around her face gracefully, in a shade of green that was quite stunning.

All of her facial features could only be described as kind. Ava looked exceedingly kind, and innocent, almost childlike. How old was she, even?

The pair left Solas behind, carrying their dishes, though a servant scurried up to take them before they could enter the Chantry. A small mercy. And then they made their way out of the walls, through the gate, and to the left, where there was, indeed, a blacksmith’s workshop. For a time, they chattered absently, but eventually, Aries had to ask.

“Ava, how old are you?” she said, quietly, and the look on the girl’s face gave her away.

She looked to the ground and then back up, ignoring the elf that was taking her measurements and strapping on various pieces of armor, offering her various weapons. “. . . I’m . . . seventeen,” Ava finally said, and Aries couldn’t hide the absolutely appalled look she gave.

“You’re a child! Ava, they can’t be planning to send you out into battles, how can you manage politics? You should be allowed to be a _child!_ ” Aries’s exclamation started the elf, who dropped a sword and proceeded to apologize profusely before retreating to a safe distance. “Absolutely not.”

Ava looked quite sheepish at that, but was possibly too drunk to be reasonable when she said, “Don’t worry. I’ll be okay. I have you and Solas and Cassandra and Leliana and Cullen and Josie. And if me growing up a little faster lets other young people enjoy their youth, it’s worth it.” Unfortunately, Aries couldn’t really argue with that at the moment, either, so she merely scowled.

The fitting was nearly done, and Aries sat patiently before deciding that she had been out of the clinic for too long. “I’m heading back - don’t get lost on the way,” she said, already walking back toward the gate.

She made a beeline for Solas, who was still, as always, standing outside of the cottage. “Solas,” she spat, before he could open his mouth, “I’ve just learned that our Herald is a child. She’s seventeen, for fuck’s sake, how can people expect this of her?” She ranted, quite passionately, for a few more moments, and he let her, before eventually stopping her by putting his hands on her shoulders to stop her pacing.

“Aries, don’t worry. Please, calm down. I will take care of her. Yes, she is young, but so are half of the soldiers here,” he assured her, until the growing panic faded from her eyes. “Now, you did agree that if I got you food, you would tell me why I needed to.”

Aries frowned pointedly but knew that she had agreed. “It’s . . . I was . . . In Tevinter,” she said, quite unsure as to how to start that sentence. “A slave. Until I was fourteen, when it was discovered I was a mage. Until I was old enough to handle learning from the healers, I worked in the kitchens.” She held out her hands, palms up, to show him the scars that covered them from any manner of kitchen-related injury one could imagine. “I still can barely go into kitchens, not big ones, with people in them. And this morning, I didn’t realize that that’s where Bethany was taking me. I had a panic attack.”

Surrendering even that vague part of her life felt wrong to Aries, but the concern that creased over Solas’s entire face was genuine. “Don’t look at me like that, okay? I’m not _weak_. It just happens sometimes,” she snarled, and he finally released her shoulders.

“I should not have pried, but thank you for telling me,” Solas finally said, then, with an interesting look in his eye, added, “You are very much like a wolf with a thorn in her paw. To ask for help is not to be weak.”

Aries nearly laughed, but knew that he was actually trying to help, so she just said, “And you’re a wolf who knows how to remove thorns?”

“Must I be a wolf?” Solas answered, raising an eyebrow.

Her eyes snagged on his eyebrow and moved to his ear; it was delightfully straight, and for a moment, she had to restrain herself, lest she run a finger along it. “Of course,” she murmured, retraining her eyes to his. “Who else would help a wolf?”

Solas’s eyes seemed to darken, and he didn’t look at her when he said, “No one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow. another one. someone pat me on the back or something lmao
> 
> this got longer than i thought it would before i found a stopping point, which, of course, is right in the middle of a conversation that no one is ever gonna see the end of. naturally
> 
> shh, don't tell anyone, but i'm enjoying writing this more than i thought i would


	4. Lessons

The conversation puzzled at Aries, simmering in the back of her mind, for longer than she cared to admit. What was wrong with wolves? The entire thing had seemingly upset Solas somewhat, and after arranging a suitable time for lessons on basic magic, she returned to work. Her patient from earlier needed his bandages changed, and in a moment of relative pity, she pumped a bit of magic into it, enough that it would stop bleeding. He would still need rest and to be careful, but it would speed his recovery by several days.

Tess, apparently unwilling to risk her anger, said nothing about the use of magic, though she was nearby. Maybe she didn’t even notice. The younger girls were gone, presumably out checking on and caring for lesser injuries. Most of them were well enough to be up and about, luckily, which gave the healers far more slack. A few more days passed uneventfully, with Ava, Aries, and Solas eating lunch together on most days, and Aries eating both breakfast and dinner with Bethany.

Her friend group became sturdy, as did her place in the Inquisition. Aries commanded a certain amount of respect from the other healers. The man that had so viciously insulted her apologized, when he was on his feet again.

Aries only ran into a problem, she realized, when it came to actually going through with the lessons from Solas. It was late afternoon, and most of the snow had disappeared, though it was still freezing cold when he came into the healer’s hut to speak with her. She had been drying herbs, via magic, until he caught her by the wrist. “Aries,” he said, quietly. “You are allowed to take breaks, you know. Come with me.” It was an order, and though it chafed at her, Aries obeyed, setting the herbs aside and letting him pull her outside.

“It’s freezing out here,” she muttered, breath clouding before her. At least she could blame the redness in the tips of her ears on the cold, instead of admitting that it was likely because Solas still had her by the wrist. “I thought we weren’t meeting until dinner?”

Solas kept walking, taking her back to the blacksmith, which only caused more confusion, but he ended up answering her questions, voiced and unspoken. “Yes, but I realized you have no staff,” he said, “hence, being here. Having a staff will allow you to channel your magic with far greater power.”

She tried to keep the horror off of her face; she really did. But he caught it, even in the dying light, and Aries knew she had to explain, preferably before they got within earshot of the smithy. “Solas, okay, umm, this is hard,” she stammered. “Remember how I was a slave in Tevinter? My master . . . used magic. A lot. Aggressively. Sometimes at me. I know it’s irrational, but I’m scared of staffs, okay?”

“I do remember,” Solas answered, a look in his eyes she didn’t recognize. “If you are uncomfortable, we can simply not use staffs today, but I am curious - does it bother you that I carry a staff? And are you also frightened of mages?”

Aries relaxed very slightly at that, but bristled once more at his line of questioning. “Yes, it does, a little,” she admitted, “and I am, even though I am one. I’ve gotten good at pretending otherwise over the years.”

He dropped her wrist like it was on fire and stepped back, but Aries couldn’t bring herself to take offense. Knowing him, it was to try and make her more comfortable. “I apologize. I didn’t know,” Solas said, managing to look ashamed.

“You couldn’t have, I didn’t tell you. I wasn’t going to. Let’s just go eat dinner, yeah? And then you can talk to me about magic stuff until I’m comfortable enough to try casting something that probably won’t kill either of us,” Aries offered, stepping forward to loop her arm through Solas’s. “I know you aren’t going to hurt me by now, it’s alright. I know it’s irrational.”

Solas seemed concerned, still, but allowed her to lead him back to the Chantry and, as he had every day since the first time he got lunch for her, went inside alone and returned moments later with two bowls, passing one to Aries, who had been waiting outside patiently. “Thank you,” she said, quietly. He was always so considerate of things like that. She had never asked him to do it for her.

The pair left, heading out of the town and into the wooded area. There was a small house there that no one lived in, likely because of the danger there was in living outside the walls of Haven, and they settled inside, eating and speaking softly, cross-legged on the floor. When they finished their food and set their bowls aside, Solas stood and held out a hand to help Aries up. He then removed his staff from its place on his back.

Aries flinched, hard, before she realized he was merely leaning it against a wall, and he pretended not to notice, saving her an amount of dignity. Him knowing she was afraid was terrible enough; constantly trying to comfort her would not help. “We’re going to start small,” he said, gesturing for her to come closer. “I’ve seen you use heat to dry out herbs. This is a similar concept, but instead of just heat, you will summon actual fire.”

“I’m going to burn this house down, summoning fire,” Aries noted dryly. “But if you insist.”

Solas smiled at her. “I have the utmost faith in you. Now, hold your hand out, like so.” As he spoke, he took her hand and flipped it, so it was palm up, and laced their fingers together, keeping their palms about as level as possible. “Do not be alarmed. I will summon some fire; let it feed on your mana as it moves to your hand. It will not burn you. If at any point you feel uncomfortable, just tell me. Focus on the feeling, and in a moment, you can try to replicate it.”

Aries nodded silently, heart beating far too quickly, and watched as he closed his eyes and exhaled. Fire sprang to life on his hand and fear built inside of her as she watched it close in, licking along her fingers and onto her skin. It tingled and was warm, but as he promised, did not burn her. She memorized the way it drew on her energy, the differences and similarities to producing heat, before pulling her hand away. The fire didn’t go out, however; it just stayed in her hand, and her sudden fear pulled it down her wrist. “Solas!” she exclaimed, but he was already moving, covering her hand with both of his and smothering the fire.

“You’re okay,” he murmured, rubbing the back of her hand with a thumb. Aries looked down at their hands; she had never before realized how much larger his were. “It is imperative to stay calm. Do you want to try again, or just put it down for tonight and consider it again later?”

Her exhale shuddered and snagged in her lungs, and the air didn’t want to return to her. Once she managed to take a few deep breaths, Aries looked up. “Told you I’d catch myself on fire,” she whispered, before realizing that Solas was still holding her hand - which was certainly awkward by this point. She pulled away but didn’t actually step back. “Yes, yes, I think I can try again.”

Solas simply retook her hand, lacing their fingers together in the same manner as before. Flames spread over their hands, and this time, Aries fought to remain calm, even when he very carefully took his hand back, leaving her to hold the fire on her own. When she didn’t panic, it remained in her palm, and after taking a deep breath, she cut off the mana to it, and let it die.

“That was better,” she admitted. “. . . Thank you.” She didn’t have to explain what she was thanking him for, and after a minute of concentration, held her hand out once more. This time, the fire created was all hers. Really, it was like creating heat, but somehow more. That fire, too, was quickly extinguished, and she decided it was time to stop for the night. “Let’s head back, before it’s too dark to see.”

Solas seemed quite pleased that she had overcome her moment of fear, and retrieved his staff before opening the door and leading the way back to the town. They walked in just before the gates began to close, luckily, and parted ways with few words spoken, Aries to her tent and Solas to his.

\---

Two more days passed before they could manage another lesson. The cause of the delay was not Aries’s anxiety over using non-healing magic; rather, one of the soldier’s wives went into labor the night after their first lesson. Due to stress, there were complications, and it took all Aries and Tess could do to save both the mother and the child.

The woman, whose name Aries couldn’t remember for the life of her, was bedridden for two days and required constant attention. Her labor had lasted through the night and well into the next day, and while she had even convinced Solas to pump some magic into her, what she needed most of all was rest.

So two days later, night found Aries sitting on the only empty cot in the healer’s cottage, holding the baby while his mother slept. Despite not having any particular affinity for children, she found herself enamored of him. Saving him had taken a toll on her, and since then, she had barely slept at all. Even then, she was the only healer present, as the other three women were all in their tents. Bethany had been kind enough to bring in meals for them.

There was a gentle knock on the door, and then Solas stepped inside. He said nothing as he walked down the row of cots and then joined her, sitting beside Aries on the cot. They did not speak above a whisper, to avoid waking anyone inside.

The first thing Aries noticed was that he was not carrying his staff, and she pointed that out. “Have you lost your staff?” she murmured, still looking down at the tiny baby she held.

“No,” Solas answered, then, after a pause, realized he should probably explain why. “You’re stressed already, and I know it bothers you. How is she doing?”

Aries blinked at him before realizing he had asked a question. She was exhausted, and it showed, in dark circles around her eyes and the way her hands shook. “She’s doing fine and will likely be able to return at least to her home tomorrow,” she reported, “though she will still need plenty of rest. The baby is fine, as well. Awful quiet, but nothing seems to be wrong. Did you need something?”

She really didn’t mean to sound rude but refused to apologize for it. It was hard to be polite when she was exhausted and had been caring for a baby for two days. “I don’t  _need_ , per se, but I wanted to know when you think you’ll be available for another lesson. Ava has asked me to accompany her to the Hinterlands, with Cassandra and Varric. There’s a Chantry mother there that will apparently be able to make the whole organization not hate us. She is also a healer, but don’t worry, Ava isn’t out to replace you.”

“How interesting. How long will you be gone?” Aries asked, dread setting in at the prospect of being without Solas and Ava for an extended period of time. Besides Bethany, they were the only people she would consider friends. The idea of branching out and meeting people, on top of her duties, was not a pleasant one.

“Hopefully, no more than two weeks,” Solas answered. “It is not too far, and our main goal is to get the healer, though I’m sure Ava will want to stop and do more.”

Aries’s concern must have shown on her face. The idea of Ava going out into the field was terrifying; she was barely seventeen, and no matter what anyone said about how well she wielded a sword, she was a child still. “Solas . . .” she whispered, finally looking up at him. “If anything at all happens to her, if I have to heal anything worse than a bruise, I’m going to kill you. You know that, right?”

Solas sighed, and nodded. “Yes, I do. Your concern for our friend is admirable,” he said, and hesitated before he added, “and if we can get you decent in combat magic, at least well enough to defend yourself, she may consider bringing you. Two mages never hurt.”

He stiffened slightly when Aries leaned against his side. Physical affection came easily to her, though he was always more reserved. Whatever - no one else there was awake, so she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes for a second. A moment later, she woke, to him gently taking the baby from her. She had fallen asleep and possibly nearly dropped it. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she murmured, blinking. “I haven’t really slept, and I used so much energy healing . . .” Aries couldn’t even finish the sentence; her eyelids had started to droop again, and it was a fight to keep her head supported.

“Rest, Aries,” Solas finally said. “I will stay right here. Nothing is going to happen, and if it does, I’ll wake you. You’re no good to anyone if you pass out from exhaustion.”

Aries wanted to argue, but considering that she had actually just fallen asleep, it seemed unwise. “Fine,” she said, already moving to properly lay down on the cot. “Tomorrow afternoon, though, I can probably do another lesson.” He went to answer, but she was already asleep, so Solas just adjusted the child to a more comfortable position to hold and waited.

\---

Three or four hours later, in the middle of the night, Aries woke to the sound of a child crying. For a moment, she didn’t know where she was, or what was happening, but quickly recovered. Solas was sitting on the end of the cot, looking incredibly confused and holding a baby. The mother must not have woken yet. “Solas, hand him here and wake up his mother. He’s probably hungry,” she ordered, holding her hands out. He complied, and while he shook the woman in the cot next to her, Aries used the tiniest bit of magic to help keep the thing quiet. No point in waking up everyone in the town.

Eventually, the child’s mother woke, groggy but not too terribly confused, and fed the child, so that it, and she, could go back to sleep.

When everything had quieted again, Aries was once more holding the baby, and she leaned forward with a groan to press her forehead to Solas’s shoulder. “Thanks for letting me sleep for a bit,” she whispered. “I should be fine, though, I can just go back to sleep when she wakes up more permanently.”

“I’ll stay with you, then. We can practice,” he offered, pulling his legs onto the cot so that they were sitting with their legs folded together, knees close. Aries made a noise of agreement and settled the baby in her lap. “Control is prudent right now. If you get uncomfortable, _stop_. We will not be doing fire, now; let’s try dispelling someone else’s magic. Specifically, you will be dispelling a spell of mine, and as long as you keep it focused, you’ll do great. Your own enchantments here shouldn’t be disrupted.”

It was interesting for Aries to see him like this. Solas was rarely this relaxed, and generally, it was only when he got to talking about something he liked. Perhaps teaching was fun for him, she decided, as they twined their fingers together as they had when she was learning fire.

“Now, the goal here is to prevent the fire from going onto your hand,” he added. “If possible, push it back until it goes out.”

Aries complied swiftly. Keeping the fire off of her hand was the natural part, but after several moments of a silent battle of wills, she began to encroach on Solas’s hand. And then the point of light was snuffed out. “Oh!” she exclaimed, almost forgetting to whisper.

Solas grinned, and she was struck that he was wolflike, sometimes. Perhaps that was why their conversation a few days prior had unsettled him. Now, though, wasn’t the time to dwell on it, because he was talking again. “Because I was actively putting energy into that, it was more difficult for you to remove than a ward or another type of support magic might be, or an enchantment on an item. Those draw their energy from the person or thing they are on, but in general, said person or thing cannot actively push energy into maintaining it, if that makes sense. Questions?”

“Yes, several, but none relating to this,” Aries said, with a matching grin. “You’ve already said you’ll stay with me, so you may as well answer.”

He hadn’t let go of her hand, not that she necessarily wanted him to. His eyes flicked down to her lap, which still contained a baby, before he nodded. “I knew you’d agree,” Aries whispered. “You, and the Fade. How do you do that? Can you teach me?  _Will_ you teach me? How do you protect yourself from demons?”

“I don’t really know how to explain how I learned,” Solas answered, but the look in his eye implied that it was a partial truth, at best. “I could teach you, though it will have to wait until we return from the Hinterlands, and if you so desire, I will. Demons are easy to avoid; all one must do is recognize them as what they are, and avoid drawing attention to themselves. Does that answer all of your questions?”

Aries grinned once more. “For now. I’ll have more lat- no, no, I thought of more,” she said, cutting herself off to continue her thought. “You know about my . . . history. I’ve never learned anything about Elven culture - the language, the gods, anything. You, though, seem to be perfectly fluent in Elven, and I want to be, too. Will you teach me? Also, who or what is the Dread Wolf? I keep hearing other elves swearing about it, but no one will tell me much.”

Solas’s face, which had been mostly blank to that point, faltered when the Dread Wolf was mentioned. “I will teach you,” he said, words carefully measured. “The Dread Wolf, or Fen’Harel, was one of the gods the elves worshiped before their society was destroyed. He is widely known for having tricked the rest of their gods into captivity. It is far more complex than him simply having been evil or otherwise bad; I - I’m not sure how well I can explain it without explaining far more, lest you make assumptions as to other things. Perhaps another time I can explain things in more detail.”

“I suppose the Dalish would be quite upset at their gods being locked up,” Aries said, before hearing a noise from the cot where the mother of the baby she held slept. “Oh, I think she’s waking up.”

She was, indeed, and took her child, feeding him before making an attempt at standing. Her legs shook, and she ached, but she could walk, and did, but not before promising to return do that her health and that of the baby could be checked on.

Once the baby was gone, Aries noticeably sagged, exhaustion catching up with her even after some rest. “Solas, I’m going to go to bed,” she muttered. “At this rate, I’ll become nocturnal. Hopefully, I’ll be up around lunch.” The sun was peeking over the horizon when she walked outside into the frigid air, and she quickly walked to her tent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another one  
> im getting to the point where i'm not sure about my pacing anymore so uhh, good luck i guess lmao


	5. Hinterlands

The Herald’s - Ava’s - party had left that morning. Aries had been there to see them off, receiving an intense hug from Ava herself and a softer and more brief embrace from Solas. She had reminded him once again that she would, indeed, murder him if their friend were harmed, and then allowed him to leave, though she hated it.

Aries was keeping herself busy with patients, but they, too, were starting to run out. Some had been sent back to Haven from the Hinterlands, but there wasn’t enough of a presence there to make for a large amount of injured people. Serious wounds couldn’t be moved that far, and were taken care of at the camp. Lesser injuries didn’t warrant being sent back, as they could be patched up on the spot.

The lack of things to do had Aries frustrated to the point that she began to seriously consider running errands for people, but her pride would not unbend that much. Her options, though, were limited. Ava had promised to write as soon as she could, if only because Aries had insisted, but it was too soon to start writing a letter to her now.

Eventually, she decided on researching, and left the house, instructing Tess to send Ruth or Emma for her should anything happen. The Chantry was bound to have a library somewhere, or at least something to read, and with any luck, due to the hour, it wouldn’t be full of people. All she had to do was avoid the kitchens. Walking in, Aries immediately collided with someone, head hitting metal before she fell backwards.

She took the gauntleted hand that the person had offered and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet before realizing that it was a templar and snatching her hand away. “Sorry,” he said, and she looked up to see golden hair and a rough-looking face. A scar stretched up from his lip and he looked as though he hadn’t shaved. “Oh! You’re Ava’s friend, the healer,” he added. “I don’t think we’ve met before. Really, the only times I’ve seen you outside of the clinic, I haven’t had a reason to speak. I’m Commander Cullen.”

“I’ve heard the name,” Aries said, but his polite demeanor wasn’t enough to get her to stick around. “I apologize, but I was going to go do some research . . . If you could point me towards a library, I’ll be out of your way.”

The commander laughed. “Of course! I’d expect no less from our best healer. Here, I’ll accompany you,” he offered, and Aries couldn’t find a reason to refuse, so she looped her arm through his as he seemed to expect, and allowed him to lead her through halls that had no right to wind and twist as much as they did until he pushed open a door and the smell of books and dust spilled through it. “If you need anything else, ma’am, please do not hesitate to find me. I can usually be found out on the training grounds.”

“Thank you, commander,” Aries whispered, already stepping inside. She left the door open as she wandered through the shelves, disappointed at how poor of a selection there was. Most of it was religious, and there were few books on advanced medical techniques. The only ones on magic involved fighting mages when one was not a mage, and so were of little use.

She missed Solas. Ava, too, but Aries found that Solas was far better at teaching things than the young girl. They were both good for her, and to suddenly have neither was exhausting and made her short temper all the shorter. After the twentieth time she slammed a book back onto a shelf after discovering it was absolutely useless and a waste of paper and ink, she nearly screamed. Was it so much to want to learn something interesting?

Aries’s mind, though, went back to Commander Cullen, telling her that he could be found on the training grounds. Perhaps, if he trained their recruits, he could teach, or at least find someone else to teach her some melee fighting techniques. It would feel good to hit something, anyway.

Mind made up, she left the building, getting lost once and having to ask a young woman to direct her to the main hall. Aries knew the location of the training grounds and made a beeline for them, catching sight of the commander almost immediately. He was quite loud, shouting orders, so she waited until he was done before making her way over. “Commander!” she called, hoping to get his attention. “I was hoping I could join your training session. There is little to do as a healer for the moment.”

The man looked at her ponderously for a full minute, and she shifted awkwardly on her feet while waiting for his answer. “I wouldn’t have thought you to have any interest in fighting,” he finally said, “but if you like, practice swords are on the rack over there. Your clothes should be fine.” Aries nearly puffed up, indignant at the comment, but refrained and instead selected one of the wooden swords. They were still quite hefty, and likely packed a punch, but she really would have preferred a lighter weapon such as a dagger.

Despite that, Aries turned and sought out a practice dummy, assuming a stance similar to the one the young man at the dummy beside hers held. She proceeded to copy his movements, striking with precision and as much force as she could muster. Physical strength had never been her strong suit. She whittled away time in that manner, relishing the strain on her muscles as she grew tired, and even in the cold, she began to sweat. At least she wasn’t in full armor like some of the recruits; that would be torture.

Eventually, Aries landed a hit so hard that the side of the dummy split, spilling straw into the snow, and a hand wrapped around her forearm to stop her next swing. “If you don’t mind me saying, I think you should take a break,” a voice behind her said, even as she turned, ripping her arm from his grasp and swinging the practice sword directly into his side. It made contact with a loud  _clank_ , and Aries dropped it, left hand clutching at her right wrist as it began to hurt.

“You startled me, commander,” she explained, trying and failing to look sheepish. The man ought to know better than to come up behind and grab a woman holding a weapon. He just nodded, holding his side. “If you’re injured, I can heal it,” she offered, after a moment of silence.

The commander shook his head and seemed to re-gather his thoughts. “You’re right, I shouldn’t have. Won’t happen again - but you are welcome to come back later. I do have to insist that you take a rest now, though. Your hand is bleeding,” Cullen told her, gesturing to the hand she had been gripping the wooden hilt of the sword with.

“It is, indeed. I’ll see you later, then,” Aries said, turning her hand and allowing a flow of mana to heal it without a second thought. Her hand was bathed in blue for half a minute, and it reflected on the commander’s armor and in his eyes, which had gone wide.

“You didn’t mention being a mage,” he said, a look of stark horror on his face.

Aries gave him a confused look. “I wasn’t under the impression that I needed to,” she said, lifting her chin. Perhaps she didn’t even stand as high as this man’s shoulder, but she refused to be cowed. “I am not a child to be watched constantly, _commander_ , nor am I the only mage that has joined the Inquisition. I’ve likely saved more lives since joining this organization than you have in your entire life.” Her voice was sharp and unforgiving, and something she said seemed to cut him deep.

“I - you - does Ava know?” he stuttered, taking a step back. Aries refused to let the relief show on her face. “Of course she does; the both of you are friends with Solas. I . . .”

What may have been an apology was cut off as Aries, with a look of disgust, glared at him and then stalked off, to bathe and then return to the healers. The water, though cold, was refreshing, and the elf climbed out feeling somewhat better about the encounter. She still couldn’t wait until Solas and Ava got home, so she could bitch about it to them, but she refused to let it ruin her day. At least he was just a templar, and not an aggressive mage.

The rest of the day was entirely uneventful, and if the other healers noticed Aries’s change in mood, they said nothing about it, choosing instead to fill the silence with idle chatter and gossip. A man came in in the afternoon, covered in bruises and welts from a particularly aggressive training session, and provided an excellent opportunity to show the younger girls a better way to mix up a salve for bruising.

Though she mostly tuned out the conversation, Aries found it harder to ignore when Emma started talking to her. She only caught the tail end of her first sentence, which seemed to be a question: “- and Solas?”

“Sorry, Emma, I didn’t hear you,” she said, finally accepting that she could not avoid whatever they were talking about.

Emma just grinned, and repeated herself. “Well, what’s the deal with you and Solas? I mean, I’ve only ever seen you with him or the Herald when you’re not here, and a couple days ago, Tess came in to check on that woman with the baby, and you were dead asleep on a cot with him holding the kid.”

Aries blinked several times, almost unsure if she had just heard the girl correctly, but had to answer after a moment. “We’re friends, nothing more,” she said, curtly. “I am also  _friends_ with Ava, so don’t get any ideas.”

“Oh, of course!” Emma exclaimed, with a laugh. “Of course, you’re practically that girl’s mother by now. So do you miss them? Her and Solas?”

“Yes, I do,” Aries said, voice dangerously near a snap. “They are, after all, my friends.”

Emma smiled at her again, either oblivious to or simply choosing not to hear her tone. “Yeah, your  _friends_. I’ll never know how to deal with Solas! He’s always so aloof with me, and I thought it was because he just didn’t like humans, but he’s like that with other elves, too.”

Aries sighed softly and wrestled her urge to say something rude until she was sure she could be civil when she spoke. “I find him to be completely fine,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “If you have issue with the man, I recommend taking it up with him.”

“I couldn’t do that!” Emma said, looking a little shocked at the suggestion. “He’s so intimidating - maybe you could, but not me!”

Confusion flicked across Aries’s face, trying to think of how Solas could be intimidating. Her own issues had perhaps colored him as a threat when they first met, but since then, he had been nothing but considerate. For fuck’s sake, he had stopped carrying a staff when she admitted that it made her uncomfortable! Though she considered mentioning that, the thought quickly dissipated, as they would only use it to press the idea of Solas being anything more than a friend.

“Then, Emma dear, I suggest you grow a pair,” she finally snapped. “He’s hardly frightening!”

Emma flinched, and stepped back before returning to what she had been doing. She didn’t say anything else to Aries, though she did continue to speak with the other girls, and she almost felt bad about her aggression. Almost. It had been a rough and frustrating day.

Afternoon stretched into night, and Aries realized that she had yet to eat. She refused to brave the kitchens, and really, she wasn’t that hungry anyway, so when Ruth left to go to bed, Aries left, as well, even though sleep was hard to find that night.

\---

A week passed like that. Provided nothing needed her care as a healer, Aries would either seclude herself in what passed for a library or join the soldiers training in the mornings, and after lunch, would return to her regular duties as a healer. She avoided the commander like the plague, unwilling to deal with whatever he wanted to say to her, but his efforts to seek her out only intensified every time she narrowly escaped his notice.

She couldn’t elude him forever, though, and he eventually caught her in the clinic. Aries stiffened noticeably when he stepped in, but could not run. She refused to make a scene. “Can I help you?” she asked, struggling to keep her voice even.

“Yes,” he said, “I’ve been trying to speak with you all week but I’d been having trouble finding you. I wanted to apologize for how I acted, the other day.”

It had not been what Aries was expecting, and he seemed to take her silence as her wanting him to continue. “You have done nothing but good for the Inquisition since coming here and it was incredibly impolite of me to speak to me as I did; your reaction was certainly justified. I would much rather not have one of our healers angry with me, but as I am no longer a templar, it would have been rude no matter who you were.”

Aries was stunned into silence before finding her words again. “I did not expect you to apologize, commander. The incident was quite upsetting, yes, but I appreciate you admitting to having been rude. If you don’t mind . . .” She gestured to the mortar before her that she had been grinding herbs in, and he seemed to get the hint, leaving before she had to tell him to.

Ruth had seen the entire confrontation but wisely said nothing about it. She seemed to have more sense than Emma, at least, when it came to someone’s personal affairs. Aries was almost disappointed when nothing else of interest happened for the rest of the day.

\---

The next day, Aries got a letter. She broke the seal and read quickly, thrilled to have finally heard from Ava.

_Aries,_   
_The Hinterlands are so much nicer than Haven! It’s far warmer and much prettier. We’ve talked to Mother Giselle, and she has agreed to come to the Inquisition! I also spoke to a horsemaster Dennet, who will supply us with, according to him, “the finest horses in Thedas” if we do a few things to keep his farm safe. We’re already halfway done, really, and I’ve already sent word to the commander that we need watchtowers built in the area._   
_Solas is reading over my shoulder while I write this to make sure I mention that so far, I’ve not sustained an injury beyond his capacity to heal, and there will be no permanent damage from anything that’s happened. He does think you should check us all over when we get back, though, just in case. Cassandra is very experienced, but has taken several hits that I think may have killed me! It’s a good thing I’m fast. Okay, Solas is gone. I really dislike having someone looming over me like that, especially when I’m writing a personal letter._   
_He won’t admit it, but I think he misses you. I miss you, too, of course, but whenever I bring you up he starts fretting. Varric is already teasing him about having a “crush” on you, but I think it’s cute, and that he’s a good friend. He also seems to be taking your threat to heart. Anytime we’re in a fight, I’ve got a barrier on me, whether or not I need it._   
_Anyway, I’ve done just about everything important here, for the moment. There are still things to do, but they can wait. Templars and mages are going at it all over the place, so we’ll either have to come back to root them out or send forces to take care of it. Really, I’m leaning more toward just sending troops. We have a whole army!_   
_I wanted to write you sooner, but I swear, I was exhausted. I barely had the energy to write reports for Leliana. Don’t bother writing back; I’ll be home before your reply would even get here. This didn’t take as long as I thought it would._

It was a relief to hear from her friends, and she laughed at the idea of Solas fretting over her when he and Ava were both in more immediate danger. They would be getting back within a day or two, if her estimation was correct, which was a massive relief. With any luck, they wouldn’t have to go back out in the field for a while, and she could spend some time actually learning magic. Not to mention, she had lost weight due to her solid refusal to go into the kitchens, and the lack of someone to get meals for her. Bethany still got breakfast for them both, but unless lunch and dinner were brought to the healers, she didn’t eat either.

Anticipating their arrival made the next days easier to bear. Aries’s mood improved considerably; she even allowed Emma to spend a whole afternoon asking questions about her life, though she did tell a great deal of half-truths when it came to specific topics.

Three days later, she was wrapping up a deep cut that a recruit had gotten, apparently by falling down some stairs onto a sword - she didn’t ask too many questions about that - when she heard a horn sound. A resounding cheer from outside led her to believe that it was the Herald’s party, returning, and as soon as she was done with her patient, Aries nearly ran outside and closer to the gate, having to push through a small crowd that was gathering.

Indeed, it was the Herald and her companions, and Aries was happier than she had been all week to see them all in one piece and relatively unharmed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, i'm moving to college! tomorrow! i'm still kinda shocked at how much it snuck up on me but i still wanted to get a chapter out before i had to deal with being in a new place. as always, gimme that sweet critique!


	6. Reunion

Ava rode through the gates on a proud chestnut horse, head high and with a greatsword practically as long as she was tall strapped to her back. It must have been found in the field, as Aries did not recall having seen it before they left. Solas rode behind her on a similar horse, carrying the same staff he had had before, and Cassandra behind him, in animated and apparently aggressive conversation with Varric, who rode at the end of the convoy. 

 

Though she held herself straight for a few moments, when the crowd finally began to dissipate Ava slid off of her horse and catapulted herself at Aries, who only barely managed to catch her without falling over. As it was, she was severely off balance when a hand pressed to her back and helped her stand straight. “She missed you,” Solas said, and Aries could hear his half-smile.

 

“Like you didn’t,” Aries answered, finally managing to set Ava down. “I missed you too, Ava. You’ve got to tell me all about it, but first, both of you, and Cassandra and Varric, exams. Now.” Her tone was firm enough that the Herald rolled her eyes.

 

“Come on, _mom_. I’m fine! And I need to go to the war table, Dennet needs watchtowers built and I have to make sure Cullen knows where to send soldiers,” Ava protested, and had slipped out of Aries’s grasp before the older woman could catch her. She was already walking toward the Chantry, and Aries just sighed.

 

Solas’s hand was still on her back, but she said nothing of it, choosing to wipe her face with one hand and say, “That girl will be the death of me. Cassandra, Varric, I hope neither of you is going to be that childish?” Cassandra looked mildly offended, but Varric just laughed.

 

“I see why you’ve been so worried, Chuckles,” Varric said, a look on his face that Aries didn’t like one bit. “She’s practically a skeleton. We’ve got to get some food in you before you fall over!”

 

Aries couldn’t see Solas’s face but knew he was about to say something to give even more people the wrong idea about their relationship, so she cut in. “Yes, work has consumed me a little,” she admitted, looking properly sheepish. “How about you go get us all some food, Varric, and the three of us will head back with the rest of the healers and start checking you all out? If you see Ava in there, remind her that if she doesn’t come to me for an examination, I’ll just tell the commander that she isn’t fit for being out of Haven?”

 

Finally, Cassandra laughed. “Oh, good luck keeping her cooped up! None of her injuries were very severe, though. I, however, have dislocated my shoulder. Solas patched me up, but it still hurts, and I would like you to take a look at it.”

 

Her accent was quite pleasing to the ear, and Aries was happy to have finally made her laugh, as the woman was usually stoic and seemly unfeeling. The healer nodded and gestured toward the semicircle of huts, letting both Solas and Cassandra follow her up the stairs and inside before sitting them each on the two cots closer to the tables, the warrior at the one closer to the doors. Tess stood inside, tending to their lone patient, and Emma was having a conversation with the woman that had given birth a few weeks before, and who was holding her son. Both looked relatively healthy, and the young healer didn’t look to be concerned, so Aries started with Solas - Cassandra was going to take several minutes removing her armor.

 

“I’ve been having a pain in my hip,” he said before she could even begin to examine him with magic. “One of the bones is fractured, and I have been unable to heal it.” She could smell the lie, practically, but pressed her hand to Solas’s hip anyway and let magic pour out. He made a soft noise of relief and Aries tried to not let it drive her to distraction - there was a possibility, perhaps, that the younger girls had been more right than she believed.

 

She removed her hand, dull blue light trailing from her fingertips, and as it faded, she smiled. “Should be fine now, but be careful! I already worry myself sick about Ava; don’t make me think you can’t take care of yourself, too.”

 

Solas grinned at her -  _how did he always manage to look so wolflike_ \- and nodded. “Of course. But I trust that you can fix it whenever I get damaged.” Aries nearly blushed, though she wasn’t sure why. She was a grown woman! There was no reason for her to be acting like some schoolgirl. Not that she had ever been a schoolgirl.

 

The thought sobered her somewhat, and she moved on to Cassandra, who had finished with her armor and was ready. Aries did do a quick once-over with magic, and the only recent injury she spotted was the woman’s shoulder, as she had mentioned, so she healed it quickly. “If you want to come back maybe once a week, I can do something for those older injuries,” she said quietly. 

 

A warrior’s line of work meant long-lasting injuries, but they needed their best out there. Ava needed the best. Cassandra just nodded, and before either could speak again, Varric came through the door, juggling several plates and looking quite put-out about it. Aries took one and took a seat on the end of the cot Solas sat at, already eating. “Thank you, Varric,” she said, between mouthfuls of food. “Give me like five minutes, and I’ll check you.”

 

\---

 

With the small healings done, Aries found herself seated across from Solas on the back of the wagon she had become to think of as hers. Though she was undoubtedly going to get a splinter from spending so much time in the rickety thing, she couldn’t bring herself to care. The pair was practicing dispelling magic, though at the beginning of the session he had shown her how to freeze and burn things that were farther away. Regarding range, Aries had a ways to go to even think of matching Solas, but she was not weak by any means.

 

He was holding her by the arm, long fingers wrapped around her wrist as he let her borrow mana. Aries could tell he was tired, and almost didn’t say anything about it, but decided to after a long moment.

 

“Solas, I know you’re exhausted from traveling. Why don’t you go rest?” she asked, twisting her hand so that she was holding onto his wrist, in turn. 

 

He smiled, soft and genuine. “That’s like me asking you why you don’t eat,” he answered, voice as gentle as his expression. “I didn’t want Ava to write you about it, but I was quite worried about you. As it turns out, I was right to be anxious: I didn’t think it was possible for you to lose any more weight, but you’ve managed it. But to answer you, I haven’t gone yet because I enjoy spending time with you.”

 

Aries was speechless, and could only squeeze his wrist as a reply, though she ended up leaning forward until her head touched his chest and she was looking down at the black jawbone that Solas always wore on a leather strap around his neck. She nearly gasped in surprise when he pulled her farther toward him, practically into his lap, with his arms around her midsection. By the time they stopped moving, her head was resting on Solas’s shoulder, and his breath was warm in her ear.

 

“You know we’re all out in the open, on a cart that could fall apart at any moment, right?” Aries whispered against Solas’s neck, trying to not enjoy that he was warm and comfortable and that  _he enjoyed spending time with her._

 

“Indeed,” Solas answered, voice low, and some of her resolve melted. “But you like physical contact.”

 

It was perhaps the least clarifying explanation that Aries had ever received, but she commented anyway. “You do an awful lot of things based on what I do and don’t like,” she murmured back, deciding to just accept the hug and get comfortable.

 

“Indeed,” Solas said, again, tightening his arms around her waist. “I do. You have a nice smile.”

 

Aries blushed scarlet and buried her face farther into Solas’s shoulder, trying to hide it. “The other healers are already starting rumors that we’re not just friends, Solas,” she hissed.

 

Perhaps she didn’t expect the small chuckle that earned. “Speaking of rumors, I heard you’ve been training with the commander lately.” Aries could also say with certainty that she also didn’t expect the note of jealousy, nor did she miss the way he pulled her even tighter, hands pressing into her back until she would have been flush against him, were they standing.

 

“Is that envy I hear? How interesting,” Aries answered, finally moving one of her hands up to run along the length of Solas’s ear for the satisfaction of hearing him barely cover a gasp.

 

“Jealousy, really,” Solas muttered. “Unless I’m mistaken, envy is wanting what someone else has, and jealousy is worrying someone will take what’s yours.”

 

Aries  _harrumphed_ softly. “Bold of you to assume I’m yours,” she said, and was about to continue when she felt something sharp at the tip of her ear and narrowly avoided crying out in shock.

 

Solas had just very carefully bitten the end of her ear before speaking again. “You, Aries, are on my lap in the middle of this tiny village, where anyone could see us, having a conversation of a rather private manner, even after admitting that there are rumors about us having a relationship,” he informed her, pulling back somewhat to look her in the eyes. “Luckily, I am not a complete idiot, and therefore I know that you are a free woman that will never belong to anyone again. That said . . .”

 

He trailed off into silence, blue eyes flicking between Aries’s black ones and her mouth. “You’re awful,” she said, matter-of-factly, before leaning in to brush a kiss against his lips. She may have intended to be quick and as chaste as such a kiss could be, but his hands were still on her back, and less than a minute later, she was moaning softly as Solas left a trail of kisses down her neck. 

 

It was probably a terrible idea, anyway, but Aries was still annoyed when she heard crunching from the direction of the stairs and jerked away from Solas practically at the speed of light. Unfortunately, the movement carried her too far, and she ended up tumbling off of the end of the cart, landing face-up and directly at the feet of the aforementioned commander.

 

“Was I interrupting something?” Cullen asked, nearly as red as Aries was.

 

Solas cleared his throat, somehow looking completely unaffected. “Yes, but it was something that certainly should have taken place elsewhere,” he said, stepping off of the wagon and extending a hand to help Aries stand, which she took, pulling herself to her feet and shaking nearly doglike to get the snow off of her.

 

Cullen cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck, an unconscious gesture that Aries had learned was an indicator of his embarrassment - like his blushing wasn’t enough of a tell. “Told you it wasn’t a good place,” she muttered, giving Solas a dark look that probably lost some of its effect when coupled with her being half soaked with melting snow and with how red her face was.

 

“You did, and I chose to ignore it,” Solas agreed, putting a hand between her shoulder blades and casting to quickly dry her clothes. Aries scowled at him, but leaned into his side anyway, deciding that she was allowed to be affectionate considering what had just happened. “Commander, what did you need?”

 

With a chuckle, if of the awkward variety, Cullen glanced at Aries. “You didn’t come to train today; I was concerned,” he said, before adding, “though it seems I shouldn’t have, and that I should really get back to the troops. Have fun?”

 

Before Aries could stop him, the man had turned and walked off, leaving her to sag against Solas’s side, trying to avoid laughter. “Solas, we have terrible, awful ideas,” she said, finally losing control and muffling her laughing against his shoulder.

 

“That was ill-considered,” he consented, wrapping one arm around her waist. “And with your luck, someone more prone to gossipping saw, and you’ll have to deal with more rumors.”

 

Aries nearly snorted. “Are they really rumors if they’re true, though?”

 

Solas just leaned down slightly to press a kiss to the shaved part of her head before releasing her. “A conversation for another time. I should let you get back to your work,” he said. “And yes, I will bring you food later; perhaps we could work on repelling attackers with magic. If you get a few more techniques down, Ava will start wanting to bring you with us.”

 

Why he wanted Aries to journey into the field with the Herald’s party completely escaped her, but Solas clearly had a reason, even if he wasn’t sharing it. A healer would be useful in the field, but surely whatever mage was present would be able to keep everyone from dying until they returned to Haven. She was no diplomat. With an annoyed huff, she turned and walked away, grabbing Solas’s wrist to pull him with her toward the tavern.

 

“I am certainly not ‘getting back to my work,’” she said, opening the door; she was immediately greeted with a strong scent that she could only attribute to cheap ale. “I intend to have a drink or twenty. I don’t know how you’re not embarrassed, really, I’m just glad Cullen isn’t exactly a gossip.”

 

She plopped down at the bar and waved to the barmaid for a drink; one was slid across to her within seconds, and Aries downed it immediately, barely pausing to take a breath. Solas had acquired one as well, likely while her vision was obscured by her tankard, though he was drinking far slower. “I’m not sure why you’re embarrassed. We are, after all, adults.”

 

“Adults who were acting like teenagers with no good sense,” Aries grumbled into her now-empty cup before motioning for a refill. “Had it been somewhere private, I wouldn’t have minded: if someone comes into a room without knocking, it’s on them. The middle of a courtyard is fair game, though. Also, I’m a lightweight. You’ve been warned.”

 

Solas seemed to smile slightly at that and knocked back the rest of his drink before ordering another. “Good to know,” he said, and Aries knew he had noticed that she was already swaying slightly in her seat. Granted, it was to the tune of the music, but it was already somewhat drunk. “Do you dance?”

 

Aries laughed, a shine in her eyes. “Of course I dance,” she answered, already finishing her second ale and sliding out of her stool onto her feet. “Are you asking because you’d like to?”

 

“Perhaps,” Solas admitted, standing and offering her a hand, which she took and then let him take the lead. He was surprisingly familiar with ballroom dancing, and it wasn’t that far removed from tavern dancing, so they spun elegantly and with few missteps. Before long, they were joined by half the people in the tavern.

 

With a grin that was more devious than with would have usually been, Aries said, “You’re better at dancing than one might assume. You’ll have to tell me how an apostate such as yourself learned.” 

 

Solas didn’t deign to answer, choosing instead to move them closer to the bar so that they could sit down for a few moments and perhaps have another drink. Aries had once had problems involving alcohol, but it had been long enough that by her third drink she was drunk enough to be dizzy. “It isn’t fair to . . . to not answer,” she muttered, standing and tugging on Solas’s hand until he rejoined her on the dance floor.

 

She had gotten more uncoordinated, as drunk people do, but was thoroughly delighted to be dancing, and Solas - getting progressively less sober - kept whispering jokes in her ear. Two drinks later, and Aries was leaning up to make somewhat impolite comments about the people around them. Three, and she was leaving small bite marks in the pale skin of his neck. Four, and she stopped remembering things.

 

\---

 

Aries woke up in a bed, which was strange mainly because she was still living in a tent. It smelled familiar and to move would only make her headache worse, so she chose not to for several moments and ended up falling back asleep.

 

Waking up the second time was somewhat better, mainly because she could smell food. Aries finally took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and sat up with a groan. 

 

“I see you aren’t dead.”

 

She jumped about three feet into the air at a sudden voice, only to realize it was Solas, sitting in a chair at a desk against the opposite wall. “Probably,” she agreed. “What happened?”

 

Solas stood and handed her some water and a plate of breakfast, which Aries accepted and ate quickly while he explained. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

 

“Drink number . . . seven?” she offered, taking in the dark bruises and somewhat lighter tooth marks that covered his neck. “If you fix my headache, I’ll fix those.”

 

He chuckled, but one hand went to his neck, covering the marks. “I think I’ll keep them. You being embarrassed is amusing. But I will,” he said, then cupped the side of her head with a hand and healed the ache in her skull. “We danced for a while. Eventually, I decided you’d only hurt yourself or me if we kept on, so I got you to sit down and eat something. For some reason, I couldn’t convince you to stop drinking, but when you collapsed, I did get you back here easily enough. Nothing too sexual happened; you did do this to my neck, but that’s about it.”

 

Aries grinned, thoughtlessly reaching out to run her fingers over the damage. “And you want to keep it. You’re terrible,” she informed him, finishing her water and then leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you for taking care of me. And stopping my headache - I couldn’t remember how. And not taking advantage of me when I was drunk off my ass.”

 

Solas shook his head ever-so-slightly before catching her carefully by the cheek and turning her head to kiss her properly. “I wouldn’t risk losing you over something like that,” he whispered, running a thumb across her cheek.

 

“Keep up with that, and we’ll be here all day,” Aries whispered back, with a smile. “But sadly, I need a bath and a change of clothes, and then I have to go get pestered for every single detail of everything that happened yesterday by a pair of teenagers. What do I even tell them? Andraste’s uhh, right asscheek, or whatever. Why do people like to gossip so much?”

 

“You tell me - last night you told me every piece of gossip you knew,” Solas answered, tugging the end of her ear gently before he stood and returned to his desk. “I personally will not be telling anyone anything. Our lives are no one else’s business. I have no intentions of stopping . . . this relationship, if we’re calling it that. I have a minimal idea of what courting a person entails, and I believe that with the current circumstances, to do things in a traditional manner would be difficult at best. Consider: I would like to be in an exclusive relationship with you, and if you agree, that is what we will do, and if people would like to pry, that is what they can know.”

 

Aries considered this, and frowned slightly, though more with concentration than any unhappiness. “I know so much gossip, that must have taken forever,” she finally said, then set aside her plate to stand and walk to where Solas was, at his desk. “I have considered, and I agree with your statements about the difficulty of proper courting. I think that an exclusive relationship will be just fine. Now, when I say this, I mean it in a completely non-sexual way, but are we going to continue with the whole ‘teaching me things’ thing?”

 

With a nod, Solas once more got up from his seat, but this time to wrap his arms around Aries’s waist, drawing her into an embrace. Her hands went behind his neck, arms resting on his shoulders. “Of course we are. I hated leaving you here last time I had to go,” he murmured, before turning them so that Aries stood with her back to the desk and then lifting her up slightly so she could sit on its surface in the one place that was lacking in papers or other items. “I was so worried about you,” he added, then leaned down to kiss her once more. 

 

Where everything they had done the night before had been hurried and rushed, in the soft morning light filtering through the curtains, the pair was gentle as anything and moved carefully, like either could spook at any moment. Neither left the small house until twenty minutes later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote this chapter and the next one together before i realized that I was at fourteen pages in google docs and not even done, so i split them here. the next one is done, too, but i wanted to work ahead a little so i don't need to work as hard around my classes and stuff.
> 
> anyway, it might be apparent by now that despite the several relationships i've been in, none of them have had any semblance of normalcy, so i have absolutely no idea how fast things are supposed to move! but, as i've said, i'm really writing this for me (also as an excuse to write fluff) so i mean it's whatever. i wanted 2 get to the Good Shit
> 
> anyway pt 2, if u like this lemme know! even if i don't NEED it, i really like being validated as an author!


	7. Earrings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey bbs so this is. i sat here trying to write this for way too long.
> 
> under the second --- thing (i feel like AO3 has a thing for doing that and i'm just a fool?) there's uhh
> 
> the sex stuff
> 
> it isn't like plot heavy or anything i guess so if you wanna skip it that's cool, please ignore that i don't know how to write sex scenes outside of a rp and it's probably weird

Naturally, as soon as Aries took a tentative step out of Solas’s door, she ran into Ava. The younger woman’s eyes went wide with shock, and one hand went to cover her mouth, which had dropped open. “Good morning,” Aries said, opting for not saying anything about why she was in Solas’s house, in the clothes she had worn yesterday, with a mouth distinctly somewhat swollen from kissing.

 

“Aries,” Ava said, then blinked several times before she worked out what to say. “Did you . . .?”

 

“Of course not,” Aries answered, lifting her chin in as much haughtiness as she could muster. “We can discuss it later; you still haven’t told me all about the Hinterlands! But I do need to go bathe and change. Join me?”

 

Haven was home to two separate bathhouses, one for men and one for women, and Ava and Aries made their way to the women’s bath quickly. As soon as they stepped inside, the healer caught her young friend by the wrist. “Before we get in, I insist that you let me do a quick examination. I’m sure Varric passed my message?”

 

Ava huffed but stood still while she was scanned with magic and then a small injury to her left wrist was healed. “It didn’t even hurt that much,” she grumbled, but it was good-natured, and they allowed a companionable silence to fall as they slipped into the water and scrubbed themselves clean. “So: the Hinterlands,” Ava finally began, as the reclined against the side of the large pool. “They were gorgeous. You have to see it! There were some wolves, and a demon, but it was nothing we couldn’t handle. I think there may be bears past some mountains, but we haven’t explored there yet. We got the Mother to join us, she should be arriving soon, and she’ll handle any medical supplies you may need so you and the other healers can focus on other things. We met so many refugees, and everyone kept calling me ‘Herald.’ So, I heard from Varric that you somehow got drunk and then got Solas drunk last night, and this morning I run into you leaving his place! I need details!”

 

Aries laughed a little, the echo watery in the stone room. “You’ll have to take me there sometime,” she said. “I’d love to see Redcliffe. I really don’t remember anything after my seventh drink, or so, but we didn’t do any . . . we didn’t do . . . we didn’t have sex. That said, we are - the conversation we had is a little blurry right now, it happened in between waking up extremely hungover and making out - we decided to have . . . a relationship.”

 

The younger of the two squealed with delight, childlike in her glee. “Oh, I knew you two would end up together. He was so anxious - kept bothering me about whether or not you were eating, and worrying that something would happen with the Breach, and wondering if there would be some kind of attack on Haven, though I don’t know who he thought would even attack it. I do want you out there with us, eventually, when you’re comfortable with it. It’ll stop Solas from staying up all night, without having to leave him here. And you’re a powerful mage! If you can get familiar with combat magic and maybe pick up a staff, you’ll really be a force to be reckoned with.”

 

It made sense that Ava didn’t know about her aversion to staffs, but Aries still grimaced, suddenly having too many thoughts and nowhere to put them. “I appreciate your confidence,” she managed, finally deciding to stand and make her leave. “I will consider that. If you don’t mind.” She gestured to the door, already out of the bath and drying off. Luckily, they had paused at her tent long enough to grab some clean clothes, so she dressed herself and was out before Ava could speak again.

 

Aries nearly ran toward their makeshift clinic, and though she hated to admit it to herself, she was disappointed to not see Solas in his usual place outside. She stepped inside and was assaulted by the strong scents of the herbs they used, as well as the ever-present odor of blood that lingered no matter how long it had been since someone had had an open wound. It was normal and safe. And Solas was leaning against one of the tables, a mortar and pestle in his hands, grinding something carefully. 

 

She moved carefully and silently until she stood beside him; he noticed her after a moment. “You decided to come inside,” she observed, leaning her head so that her cheek pressed into Solas’s shoulder. Aries was ever affectionate. “Whatcha got there?”

 

“Ra eireth i'tel ma,” Solas answered, and she didn’t know if he was referring to what he was making or to something else until he continued, “this is a regular elfroot poultice. I offered to cover for Tess, Emma, and Ruth today; they all wanted to . . . I don’t know what they were going to go do, actually.”

 

Aries nodded; that explained the absence of her other healers. “I don’t know what that first thing meant, Solas. Does this mean you’re going to obey all my orders?” She laughed a little at that, shaking them both slightly. When she looked up, she noticed it.

 

Solas had earrings.

 

Three rings marked his earlobe and the bottom part of the cartilage there, and there were two more studs higher up, closer to the point of his ear. 

 

“Ra eireth i'tel ma is Elvhen. In Common it would mean ‘It is cold without you,’” he explained, finally turning his head to look at Aries and press a kiss to her forehead, ignoring how surprised she looked. His right ear matched.

 

“S-Solas, have you always had earrings?” she finally asked, after several seconds of silence.

 

Solas grimaced slightly. “Not exactly. Do you remember when you blacked out?”

 

Aries snorted. “No, I do not remember the events that happened while I was completely wasted,” she snarked, earning a resigned sigh.

 

“Varric may have gotten me to bet on how much you would drink before actually passing out,” he offered, looking properly sheepish.

 

“I can’t believe you bet on me, and that you  _lost_ ,” Aries laughed, reaching up to touch his ear. “They look good, though.” More quietly, and in a less joking voice, she added, “You have really nice ears.”

 

Solas grinned at that and set the mortar and pestle down behind him to wrap his arm around Aries’s waist, tilting his head to place his chin on top of her head, ignoring her indignant noise. “That’s a very unique complement,” he noted, pulling her against his side. “It’s a lot less busy in here, with the Breach stable.”

 

Aries _hmmed_ noncommittally and buried her face in Solas’s shoulder, trapping him in a hug. “It is. Most of the injuries have been training related,” she told him. “It’s been good for the younger girls, though. Relaxed, a good environment for learning.”

 

“I do like to learn,” Solas said, his tone one of approval. “And on that, you wished to learn how to enter memories in the Fade? It takes time, naturally, but I’m sure you can do it.”

 

“You and Ava have so much faith in me this morning,” Aries muttered, stepping back and then to the counter, picking up a piece of parchment and a quill to start scribbling a list. Her penmanship was legible, but just barely. “But that reminds me - that Mother you went all the way to the Hinterlands to get needs a list of whatever we’re running low on.”

 

Solas rubbed her back, between her shoulder blades, with a hand, and let her be, choosing to go back to whatever he was making. They worked together like that, in a nice harmony, for the rest of the day, with the comfortable silence stretching between them when they weren’t discussing casting techniques or the theory of walking in the Fade.

 

* * *

 

 

By the time night was upon them, Aries was happy but tired. With no one in the small clinic - several people had come in during the day, but none had needed to stay - she and Solas were sitting on one of the cots close to the door. Due to the narrow nature of cots, Aries found herself sitting between Solas’s legs and leaning back into his chest; his legs were hanging off of the sides of the cot, and hers were crossed in front of her. In her hands was a book on potion-making, held so that both of them could read it. 

 

It was the safest Aries had felt since joining the Inquisition. Safety was a difficult thing for her, but she accepted it, and if Solas noticed when the remaining tension left her body, he said nothing, though he did leave a soft kiss on her ear.

 

Their position worked wonderfully for reading, as Aries read somewhat slower than Solas, so she could simply turn the page when she finished. They had been like that for at least an hour when the door creaked open and Ava stepped in.

 

Aries jumped but didn’t make any move to leave her position. “Ava,” she said, by way of greeting, trying to stop her face from going red with no success. “Are you injured?”

 

Ava flicked her gaze to the side before meeting Aries’s eyes. “Sorry, I’m - you’ve been in here all day, and I wanted to make sure you were fine and that you hadn’t forgotten to eat,” she said, taking a small step backward.

 

“I actually haven’t eaten,” Aries said, only just realizing that. “Thank you for reminding me.” The idea of going to the kitchen froze her for a moment before she remembered that Solas was there. 

 

As if reading her mind, Solas made a soft noise of consideration against her neck before saying, “I’ll go get us something, then.” His arms, which had been around her waist, tightened somewhat before he removed himself from behind her. Soon, it was just Aries and Ava in the room, and the younger walked over to sit on the cot as well.

 

“We were just reading this,” Aries offered as if she needed to explain herself. She passed the book to Ava, who scanned the page and nodded. “It’s been a quiet day.”

 

Ava smiled, leaning against Aries’s side for a hug. “I’m happy for you. We all deserve something like that, even in these times. It’s difficult to be . . . me, right now,” she said. It was clear she had been stressed for some time, and the healer immediately was hit with guilt that she hadn’t noticed sooner. “Everyone expects me to be this Herald for the bride of a god I don’t even believe in. I keep telling people I’m not, really, but no one wants to believe that this is all completely random.”

 

With a sigh, Aries pulled Ava closer to her. “I understand. Everything is going to be okay. We’re here to support you; you don’t have to do this alone,” she said, keeping her voice level. “It may seem impossible now, but we will pull this off.”

 

Their short conversation was interrupted by Solas’s return. He handed Aries a plate and a mug of something that was undoubtedly alcoholic and sat on her other side to eat his own meal. “We should go to the tavern,” Ava suggested, a gleam in her eye. “At least for some drinks.”

 

Solas shrugged and looked to Aries for her answer. “That’s a good idea,” she finally said, ignoring the warning going off in her mind regarding her history with drinking. “Dancing is pretty fun, at least.” 

 

* * *

 

The tavern was full of people when they arrived, but it wasn’t too difficult to secure a table. A younger soldier was sitting with them, clearly friends with Ava, and though he was a little awkward - it surely didn’t help that while Aries and Solas were sober, they were somewhat critical of him - as the night went on, he became more comfortable. His name was apparently Kinar, and he even managed to get Ava onto the floor for a dance when Solas and Aries stood to do the same.

 

Despite being drunk, the pair was still pretty good at dancing, though they had to stop when Aries nearly collapsed from laughter as a whispered joke. Eventually, a few people Aries knew walked in, including the commander, who made a beeline for their table to greet Ava.

 

Aries was surprised when he turned to her, though. “Would you care for a dance?” He was offering a hand, but she still hesitated, glancing at Solas, whose face was a blankness she had not seen since they met.

 

After a moment, she accepted his hand and allowed herself to be pulled from the chair. They danced for the remainder of the song that was being sung, but when it ended, Aries excused herself and returned to her seat. Under the table, Solas’s hand moved to rest on her thigh, and she covered it with her own.

 

The night passed quickly, and Aries was glad that she didn’t black out again, though she was quite drunk by the time Solas helped her stumble outside. The cold air was refreshing, but when she leaned back to look at all the stars, she would have fallen had Solas not grabbed her. “Come on,” he whispered, in her ear, and led her by the hand toward his small house, which was across the semicircle from the healer’s hut and was, therefore, closer than Aries’s tent, not to mention warmer and more comfortable.

 

Inside, he closed the door quietly and locked it, as she assumed he always did. Aries took off his jacket, which she had borrowed before they left the tavern, and set it over the back of his chair before his hands met her waist and drew her into a kiss. It was desperate and hungry, and it set her blood to boiling within seconds.

 

After a minute, though, Solas pulled back, a strange look on his face. “What’s wrong?” Aries asked, one of her hands wrapping around the jawbone he had on a cord around his neck to pull him back down to her.

 

“We aren’t sober,” Solas answered, brows furrowing in what looked like concern.

 

Aries laughed, loud and reckless. “I can fix that,” she offered, and touched her free hand to the side of her head, casting a spell quickly. In the following seconds, her vision cleared and her balance returned. When she was back in control, she stretched her hand out to Solas and did the same for him. The man swayed back slightly and tilted his head.

 

“You’ll have to show me how to do that,” he murmured, before leaning back down to meet her lips. Newly not-drunk, Aries felt like a kind of haze had cleared. Everything was better. 

 

Solas backed her up to the wall and slid his hands down to her backside, lifting her up and holding her there, between his body and the wall, while guiding her to wrap her legs around his waist. All of it was done wordlessly; the only noise was the muted gasps and moans from the pair.

 

“S-Solas,” Aries gasped - she could feel his erection against the inside of her thigh, and her being surprised made him hesitate.

 

He murmured something in Elvhen against her neck before realizing she couldn’t understand him. “I am sorry, vhenan,” Solas breathed, “is this okay?” There was no non-strange way to phrase what he meant to ask, and luckily Aries understood that.

 

“Yes, yes,” she managed, deciding to table whatever “vhenan” meant until later. “Fuck, Solas.”

 

With the issue of whether or not they both wanted to have sex cleared up, Solas growled, low in his throat. It was, like many other things about him, predatory, but Aries was a wolf, too. She growled back, delighted to see his smile when she did. In one smooth motion, he lifted her and then deposited her on the bed, legs hanging off of the side, pausing to remove his tunic before returning to kissing. Her teeth worried gently at his bottom lip while his hands made their way under her own shirt, pushing it up and running up to her ribs before pulling it off altogether, leaving her in nothing but pants when she kicked her shoes off. His mouth moved to her exposed collarbone, and Aries made an unholy noise.

 

Communicating with words was out of the question: Aries could only make desperate noises as Solas dragged her pants down, just caught at her belt for a moment. Once they were halfway down, she kicked them the rest of the way off and her hands scrambled at his waistline. Solas yanked them, and whatever he was wearing under them, down. His erection sprang free, but it was his hand that moved down to Aries’s abdomen and then to her slick folds, running long fingers back and forth to gauge her wetness before slipping one slender digit into her, making her groan his name.

 

Aries found herself gripping Solas’s shoulders like she would never let go. It had been so long, and she wasn’t trying to win any prizes for stamina. Another finger made its way inside of her, and his thumb worked at her clit until she was incoherent and slipping into Tevene. It only took another few minutes for her orgasm to hit her and she almost screamed but remembered where she was and regained enough self-control to not.

 

“Solas,” she said, voice a broken moan. He was already moving, licking his fingers clean with apparently little thought before he adjusted her hips and positioned his length at her entrance. With little preamble, Solas slid inside, swearing quietly. At least, Aries assumed he was swearing - he wasn’t speaking any language she knew, though to be fair she only knew three. Once he was hilted, Solas leaned over, catching her by the hips with his hands and giving her a moment to adjust to him. He was larger than average, but not massive, so the fit was a little tight but mostly comfortable for both. 

 

Solas’s mouth was busy at her neck, licking the dip of her collarbone and leaving hickeys up to her jaw, but soon enough he moved his hips, slowly thrusting. Aries was clawing his back, her head thrown back as much as the bed would allow. Once he got going, they both abandoned any semblance of being gentle. He bit down on her shoulder, hard, and Aries snarled, only digging her nails deeper into his back as her second orgasm swept her away.

 

Though he slowed down when Aries came, Solas returned to his previous pace after a moment, gripping her waist hard enough that she would surely have a bruise in the shape of his hand in the morning. Their desperate fucking reached a peak when Solas whispered something utterly unintelligible in Aries’s ear, and then nipped it, teeth bearing into the sensitive flesh just carefully enough to not make her bleed. It was painful, naturally, but Aries found herself nearly screaming as she came once more. Mere seconds later, Solas let go of her ear and moved his teeth to her neck as he himself orgasmed, buried inside of her.

 

For more than a minute, the pair lay there, panting; until Solas rolled to the side so that he could rest on his back without the danger of somehow crushing Aries under his weight. Aries, a small measure of control returning to her, looked down at herself and then absently cast a spell to clean her up somewhat. No longer in dire need of a bath, she made her way to lie properly on the bed, using the same spell on Solas and then tugging one of the blankets up. As if in agreement with an unspoken statement, he roused himself enough to join her under the blankets, lying on his side and pulling Aries until her back was to his chest.

 

“You are perfect, vhenan,” he whispered, kissing the back of her head, one arm under her head and one over her waist. Aries made a soft noise in return and nestled herself closer to him, but she was already mostly asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nice u powered through
> 
> i'm starting the next chapter as i'm posting this but i definitely won't finish it today, got things to do tonight. 
> 
> as always, plz validate me (i wish it told you how many people have subscribed to something tbh, then i could just scream with joy constantly) bc i Love Being Validated and i will definitely respond to comments. it puts joy in my heart like no other. 
> 
> also lemme know if you feel like the pacing on this is too fast! like i said before, no experience in normal relationships so i'm clueless lmao
> 
> also pt 2, in putting this in i learned that there IS a horizontal line tool and that i AM, indeed, a fool


	8. Dreamers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess what  
> more smut that's what  
> but also Important Things

Aries, waking up in Solas’s bed, wasn’t at all surprised. They had changed positions in the night, so that she was actually on top of him, facedown on his chest, while he rested on his back. Carefully, she let herself slide to the side, laying her head on his shoulder, and he unconsciously pulled her closer with a grumble she couldn’t hear properly over his heartbeat.

 

They were in a relationship, she considered, skimming a hand down his side, letting it rest on his hip. She knew so little about him, but Aries understood the need to keep some parts of one’s history locked away, hidden from the world. She only remembered most of the previous night - sobering them up and the events afterward were vivid, but Solas had said something to her right before she fell asleep that she barely remembered. All that came to mind was the ghost of his lips on the back of her neck and the word  _vhenan_ \- though she racked her brain for the meaning, it eluded her.

 

“You’re beautiful.”

 

Solas’s voice made her jump, though she should have expected it. “I didn’t mean to wake you up,” Aries said, tone apologetic, as she sat up in bed, gathering the blanket around herself to protect from the chill. This left Solas bare from the waist up, but he didn’t seem to mind the cold like she did.

 

His eyes flicked across her face and down her back; with the utmost care, he ran his hand down her spine. “I don’t mind,” he said, seemingly ignoring Aries’s small shiver, at least until he stood and, completely naked, wrapped the rest of the blanket around her back and shoulders. “I’m going to put clothes on and go get breakfast.” It was implied that he would also get her breakfast; he always did. Solas leaned to kiss her on the cheek and then turned to dress, sliding into his clothes as easily as he had slipped out of them. Aries watched him, unabashedly admiring his form, until he left the house.

 

Torn between going back to sleep and getting up, Aries sat still for a minute before sighing deeply and divesting herself of the blanket, switching it for her clothes that she had worn the night before. Solas had not yet returned, so she took a seat at his desk, absently rifling through his papers until she came across a journal of some type. He had books, of course, but this one was handwritten in what she recognized as Solas’s writing. When she opened it, though, it was in a language she couldn’t comprehend. Not only did she not know what it said; she couldn’t tell what language it was at all.

 

There were numerous drawings, though. Some were scribbled and hurried, and some were in great detail, and Aries found herself absorbed in the small book. So absorbed that she didn’t notice Solas coming back inside; she only looked up when he set something in front of her. “What language is this in?” she asked, refusing to pretend she had somehow been reading something private. “I don’t understand a word of it. Your sketches are really nice, though.”

 

Solas, ever gentle, carefully plucked the book from her hands and scanned the page she had been reading. 

 

“This page is on how to combat the weakening of the fade in specific areas,” he explained, handing it back to her. “It is in elvhen.”

 

Aries smiled up at him. It was always so easy to smile around him. “Speaking of elvhen, what does ‘vhenan’ mean?” she asked, closing the journal and setting it aside to pick up the bowl.

 

“Heart. It’s an endearment,” Solas answered, placing a hand on the back of her chair. “Ma’vhenan.”

 

Her smile widened slightly and she ate quickly after that, though she continued reading one of the few papers she could actually understand. Solas seemed to do most of his writing in elvhen, which was strange, but she did most of hers in Tevene, so perhaps she couldn’t judge. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at a different book, and occasionally reading passages aloud to her, while she gave her opinions and thoughts. 

 

Too soon, she had finished her meal, and with an irritable noise, Aries stood, tucked the chair back under the desk, and shrugged on Solas’s coat, giving him a cheeky sort of grin when he raised an eyebrow at her. “I’m going to the infirmary,” she informed him, and bent to kiss his cheek - though he turned his head at the last second and she found herself trapped in a kiss. When she managed to pull away, she scowled at him, though she was admittedly unimposing, with the redness creeping across her face. “Some of us have regular jobs, dear.”

 

The use of dear was in reference to his referring to her as _vhenan_ , but after a second, Aries leaned back down to kiss the top of his head. “Vhenan,” she whispered, trying it on for size. It rolled off of her tongue in a way that made her want to smile. That, however, was as long as she could linger before going to her duties.

 

A fresh layer of snow was in the process of falling, but Solas’s jacket was still warm from his wearing it to go get food, and Aries managed to dash across the courtyard before she got too cold. Inside, she left the coat on, though it would have been simple to heat the inside of the cottage with a quick spell. Practical magic was easy for her to use; it didn’t make her anxious like combat magic, so Solas focused on it when teaching her.

 

Ruth was inside, carefully cutting elfroot, and she did a double take when Aries stepped inside. “Yes, so you’re just wearing Solas’s coat because you’re such good  _friends_ ,” she said, a sly grin crossing her face. Aries rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, deciding against a snappy remark. It had been a remarkably good morning to that point.

 

“We really are,” she answered, with a grin of her own, and strode to the table, choosing to check the stack of letters that sat there. She was terrible about checking their mail, but sat at a stool and opened each message, reading them carefully. Most detailed the locations of useful herbs in the Hinterlands and surrounding areas, including how much of each had been successfully harvested and would be brought back to Haven. Those did not require replies, so Aries noted what they would be receiving on a seperate sheet of parchment and set it aside; later, she could go through the deliveries and ensure that there was the correct amount and that anything missing had an explanation. 

 

Barely a minute after Aries finished, the Inquisition’s newest baby and his mother came in - the one that had given birth before Solas left for the Hinterlands. Aries was happy to check on him, though he did have quite the pair of lungs and at one point refused to stop screaming until they puzzled out that he must have been hungry. The entire ordeal took perhaps half an hour.

 

And after that, her attention was demanded again, though this was in the form of Ava.

 

“Aries! Have you got a moment?” was the call, accompanied by a knock on the door that startled her so badly she almost smudged the ink of the requisition form she was filling out.

 

Though she sighed, Aries was generally happy to see the girl, so she answered, “I do!” and walked over to open the door, admitting Ava, who seemed thrilled, and a much more sedate Cassandra. “How can I help you?”

 

Ava bounced in and gave Aries a quick hug before explaining herself. “Well, Cassandra and I talked to Solas, and he agrees that you can defend yourself enough to come with us to Orlais! We have to talk to the Chantry there,” she explained. “It isn’t supposed to be dangerous, so me, you, Cassandra, and Solas should be able to handle it.”

 

Aries tilted her head to the side and shuffled the papers in her hand while she considered it. From her understanding, they needed to go to Val Royeaux, so it would be a relatively long trip, but not so long that the travelling would be unbearable. It didn’t hurt that she liked and had lived in Orlais.

 

“While we’re there, we’re going to meet with some Grand Enchanter,” Ava added. “So will you come? Pleaseeeee?”

 

She couldn’t say no to that face. Aries slowly closed her eyes, and nodded before opening them again. “I’ll come,” she relented, and let Ava practically tackle her with a hug.

 

“This is great! I’ve got to go do some other things, but we’re leaving tomorrow morning,” Ava exclaimed, already heading for the door. Cassandra, however, stayed.

 

The Seeker sighed as soon as Ava was out of the cottage. “She’s very excitable,” she finally said, and Aries simply nodded her agreement. “Now, we must find you some armor. I do not anticipate a fight, but in the event of one, you must be protected at least somewhat. Join me.”

 

Aries, though it chafed at her to obey a command, walked out with Cassandra and toward the smithy. They did not speak on the way, but once there, after explaining their mission to the smith, Aries struck up a conversation about Val Royeaux and her past in Orlais. It would be helpful to be friends with the people she was travelling with, after all. 

 

Though it was odd to be fitted for clothes, Aries stood still as her measurements were taken and suitable armor was scrounged up from their supplies. It was no secret that she was a mage, not anymore, but she had never before worn mage robes before then. Still, they fit well and she could appreciate that they would protect her while not being so heavy as to weigh her down overly much. She excused herself to go pack, choosing to wear the armor, as it was warm, with Solas’s coat over it. The coat was large enough that it fit fine over the robes, something she was rather amused by. 

 

Packing was quick, and Aries found herself looking for Solas; he was not as his usual post outside the clinic, nor was he in his house. After asking around, she found him having a conversation with, of all people, the commander. Though perhaps it was rude, Aries was far too curious to not walk over and join in.

 

She sidled up beside Solas, and he slipped an arm around her waist in a gesture that seemed somewhat possessive to her. Still, she leaned into his side and listened to the conversation for a few moments; it seemed to be about the merits of different types of daggers. It seemed like a conversation that would be better had with a smith, but Aries caught on soon enough that he was asking because she refused to carry a staff, and needed something to defend herself with in the event of close combat.

 

She spoke briefly when she found an opening to do so, but eventually pulled Solas away, more toward the clinic. Once out of most people’s sight, she turned, put a hand on each of his shoulders, and pulled herself up to kiss him briefly. “It’s fucking freezing,” she muttered, when she pulled back, and let herself get distracted by how his smile formed for a split second.

 

“Anyway, you’re thoughtful,” Aries added. “But I knew that already. Lunch?” Before he could move on his own, she was pulling him toward the tavern, hand on his wrist and a smile on her face. Solas, however, used her grip on his wrist to pull her back towards him, embracing her carefully to kiss her again, ever hungry, his mouth ravenous on hers. “Fuck, Solas,” she breathed when they separated.

 

She nearly rolled her eyes at his smug expression, but instead turned and pulled him into the tavern. As it was lunchtime, the building was filling up, but she grabbed them seats and motioned for a barmaid. “I’m sure you know I’m coming with you to Val Royeaux by now,” she said, after ordering some food that was better than whatever the Chantry kitchens were putting out. 

 

Solas’s hand tightened on her thigh, where it was a constant presence when they sat together like they were. “I hate leaving you here, but now that you’re coming, I find myself anxious,” he admitted. “Because of the amount of things that could go wrong. It’s going to be okay.” He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself of that, but Aries let it slide, covering his hand with her own and rubbing the back of it with her thumb.

 

“It’s going to be fine, vhenan,” she murmured, leaning closer so that he could hear her over the sound of the bar. “I’ll be with you.” Aries was certain, without a shadow of a doubt, that if something happened outside of her ability to handle, Solas could take care of it, as he was certain that if an injury came up that was above his level of expertise, Aries could heal it.

 

They ate quietly, the silence companionable, until the minstrel struck up a tune and Aries gave Solas perhaps the most convincing puppy-dog eyes she had ever done in her life and he finally relented, standing and offering her a hand so that he could whisk her onto the floor.

 

“I know there’s good places to dance in Val Royeaux,” Aries whispered, against Solas’s ear - he chuckled, and without warning, nipped the tip of her own ear.

 

Aries wasted no time. In an instant, she had her teeth in Solas’s neck; by the time he grabbed her by the arm and, more roughly than she was used to him being, half dragged her out of the tavern and to his house. Inside, she shrugged off his coat with ease, and yanked at his belt while he somewhat more carefully undid the ties of her pants. All the while, he was marking her neck with hickies, occasionally biting down hard enough that she was sure eventually she would bleed. 

 

Not that that would necessarily be a bad thing.

 

Neither bothered with removing all of their clothes. They had an entire afternoon, perhaps, but at that moment, Aries thought she might combust with need. Pants gone, Solas backed her into his desk, picking her up enough to sit on the edge of it. She gasped his name, but it trailed off into a low moan when he pushed himself inside of her slick cunt. For several seconds, they remained still, Solas’s head resting on her shoulder. Aries had one of her hands under his shirt, nails digging into his back, and one tangled with the cord that held the wolf’s jaw around his neck. 

 

With a growl, Solas started moving again, quickly gaining in speed until their fucking was frenzied and Aries would have been quite a bit louder, were Solas’s hand not over her mouth. His own mouth was at her shoulder, biting down beside the marks he had left the night before. 

 

His other hand had been at her back, but Solas moved it for the purpose of reaching between them and rubbing her clit: the hard pressure made Aries scream against his hand as she came. In the lull after she had ridden it out, Solas picked her up once again, this time only backing up until his calves hit the bed and then letting them fall back onto it, so that he lay on his back and Aries was riding him, sitting up.

 

Aries caught on and pressed her hands to Solas’s chest, grabbing fistfuls of the shirt he still wore to keep herself steady as she bounced herself up and down. For his part, he still had her by the hips, helping her maintain a constant pace even as his head rolled back and his eyes closed. Eventually, Aries let herself lean down, chest to chest with Solas, for the purpose of kissing him.

 

Her entire body was shaking; their newer position with her leaning over had caused Solas to hit just the right spot, and he had grown rougher, hands digging into her hips. “Vhenan,” he gasped, and that was all the warning she got before he came, still buried inside of her and as she had a second orgasm. 

 

Without moving herself off of Solas, Aries fully rested on top of him until he grabbed her by the waist and rolled her to the side. Today, it was him that cleaned them up and arranged them both in a more comfortable position on the bed, despite Aries’s protests that it was the middle of the day and she didn’t need to take a nap. She was tired, even if she wouldn’t admit it.

 

Solas pulled a blanket up over them and hugged Aries close to his side, and she was comfortable and safe enough to fall asleep relatively easily.

 

* * *

 

 

Aries blinked. She was standing by the gate into Haven, but she didn’t recall going there, and couldn’t see anyone, besides her and Solas. When she looked up, there was no Breach in the sky, and there was no sign of the Inquisition that resided in the town at all. 

 

Solas seemed to be waiting patiently for her to get her bearings, so she walked over, not hesitating to stand on her tiptoes and steal a kiss. He smiled down at her, and took her hand, leading her up through the town, past houses and where she knew tents were supposed to be. “We are in the Fade,” he finally said, waving a hand at the general area. “I can bring you here; teaching you to come yourself in another matter.”

 

She  _hmmed_ softly to herself as she considered this, and then looked at him again. Much to her surprise, he had hair - it was a dark brown, and very short on the sides, though the top was longer towards the middle. He still had his earrings, though there were several more than he had when he was awake, including a bar of metal that pierced the top of his ear in two places. Aries had noticed that his normally clean-shaven head had some growth lately, and she suspected that this was what he intended to grow it out into.

 

“If our perceptions of the place we’re in in the Fade change it somewhat,” she began, though she wasn’t sure if she was making sense, “do our perceptions of other people influence their appearance?”

 

He seemed to think over it for a second before deciding on an answer. “Yes, but only people that exist in the memory,” he said, “so, for instance, you choose how you look here, because you aren’t a part of the memory. It takes a great deal of practice to maintain an irregular appearance, though. It is about how you perceive yourself.”

 

Aries looked down at herself. She was clad in a light green and flowing dress that seemed as if each individual piece of fabric was a little see-through, though together they were opaque. It fluttered around her ankles and was sleeveless with an open back. Her hair was up and held with a band that looked to be made of leaves that were hammered out of gold. It was an outfit she had owned in Orlais, her favorite. 

 

When she looked back at Solas, he was wearing something other than his usual clothes, as well. He was wearing what looked like full armor, intricate engravings on nearly every piece. A pelt tucked into his belt and wrapped over one shoulder. A good part of it looked like gold, and all of it was heavier than what a mage would usually wear in combat. Aries found herself feeling cold; it was still winter in this memory, and when she realized that, she felt the chill.

 

Solas noticed, though, ever attentive, and removed the pelt from his ensamble to place it around Aries’s shoulders. “So you just perceive yourself as wearing that armor all the time?” she asked, tugging the pelt into place around her and appreciating the warmth.

 

“I . . . borrowed,” he explained. “From a younger version of myself. As, I believe, you did.” It was a good point, and Aries didn’t know enough about the Fade to argue with him regarding it, so she didn’t, letting him walk her back around to where she knew the clinic was in life. When she opened the door, though, it was furnished like a regular house.

 

“This is so strange,” Aries finally said. “Anyway, what are we doing here?”

 

Solas walked behind her into the house, and closed the door before sitting at the small table. Aries joined him without a second thought, sitting across from him but hooking their ankles together under the table, and taking his hands across the top. He made no efforts to disguise the happiness that those simple actions brought him, and it made her smile. There was no one to hide from there, not that sharing affection had ever been an issue for them in public. “We are here so that in your dreaming later, you and distinguish me from demons that may take my form, and so that I may do the same in regards to you,” he informed her, leaning forward somewhat. “To actively dream as I do tends to attract greater attention from demons.”

 

Unconsciously, Aries leaned forward to match Solas’s posture, resting her elbows on the table. “You’re more comfortable here, though,” she said, her tone implying that the subject was not up for debate. “You don’t look so anxious.”

 

“I have spent a long time in the Fade,” he relented. “In medical situations, even when just in your workspace, you are happier and more in control. The grace and confidence with which you move are captivating. This is to me what your workspace is to you.”

 

Aries nodded, and then with a sly look, asked, “So you think I’m graceful?”

 

“I do not just think it; I am declaring it. It was never up for debate,” Solas answered, as he stood and walked around the table to offer her a hand up. She laughed and took it, just like the various nights they septn dancing, though this time instead of taking them to a dance floor, he pulled her up and immediately into him, catching her by the waist with one arm. They didn’t move, choosing instead to stand together while Solas whispered softly, “I am worried, vhenan. You are a skilled mage and we will benefit from a healer, but . . .” He trailed off into silence, and dipped his head to rest his forehead against Aries’s. 

 

She looked up at him and moved her hands to cup Solas’s face with them, running both of her thumbs over his cheekbones. “I appreciate your worrying. Remember, this isn’t supposed to be dangerous. Maybe we’ll run into bandits on the road, but I doubt anything worse that that will happen,” she murmured. “I can take care of myself, you know.”

 

Aries heard him sigh and he kissed her forehead before releasing her to wave a hand casually. The dream changed and she found herself standing in what was quite obviously an Orlesian building, in the midst of some sort of party. Solas took the change in stride and bowed, extending his hand for Aries to take. She accepted, with a practiced curtsy, and they moved through the steps of proper court dancing together.

 

* * *

 

 

When Aries awoke, she was tucked into Solas’s side, and it surprisingly silent. She then remembered that they were leaving so early in the morning that most people wouldn’t be up yet, and shook Solas awake before climbing out of bed, forsaking warmth and comfort for putting on clothes and grabbing her pack of belongings that she was taking. She had her own jacket on by the time Solas was getting up, so she sat at his desk while she waited; he didn’t take long and they walked outside together.

 

Indeed, four horses and Cassandra waited by the gate, kept company by Varric, who looked to be annoying her. He was good at it, after all, but he still looked happier when he spotted Aries and Solas coming their way. Ava had yet to make an appearance, so they took their time selecting mounts. Solas already had a preferred horse; it was not the one he had brought back from the Hinterlands, but rather a dusty-colored mare that was of average build. Ava’s chestnut stallion was there, looking anxious and tossing his head.

 

Cassandra’s horse was similar, but his coat was an inky black, like a charger from some heroic tale. And there were three extra mounts, none of which Aries recognized. Varric gestured to them when she was close enough. “Check them out, Coat Thief. I convinced Dennet to give you choices.”

 

“I’m wearing my own coat right now,” Aries grumbled, but gave him a one-armed hug before presenting her hand to the first one, a startlingly white mare. She snuffled at it and then looked Aries over with one eye, as if asking why she was not being given a treat. 

 

The second nearly gave her a heart attack, or so she would claim later. It was a dracolisk. Its body was a tan color, but the spikes covering it were black, and when she offered her hand, it allowed her to rub its nose, which was hotter than any living thing had a right to be. She liked it, though, and it pressed against her chest when she stopped petting it.

 

As she looked to the right, Aries saw a hart. It was majestic, yes, but she knew very well that she was too short to even consider riding it. “I’ll take this one,” she said, finally. “The dracolisk. Does it have a name?”

 

“Yeah, I think they’ve taken to calling her Maneater,” Varric offered. “You can rename her, if you want - I think that’s a reference to something, because every time they let her out, whichever one has her starts singing ‘ohhh here she comes, watch out boy, she’ll chew you up!’ and it’s pretty strange.”

 

Aries laughed, carefully avoiding the beast’s teeth. “No, I’ll keep it,” she chuckled, tucking her pack into the saddlebags. As the stablehand was leading the hart and the horse back where they belonged, Aries continued to familiarize herself with her new friend, biding her time until Ava joined them and they could leave.

 

It was ten more minutes before the young woman met them, but Aries didn’t mind - she had been holding a conversation with Cassandra and had actually offered and been allowed to heal some of her aches before they mounted up. Solas had watched, approvingly but from a distance - he and the Seeker seemed to have differences of opinion regarding mages, but all she had to do was keep the topic from coming up. 

 

Finally ready, Aries allowed Solas to help her into her saddle - as it had been a while since she had ridden, and she had never been on a dracolisk before, she needed some assistance - and they departed, making what she considered to be a good pace. What she remembered of how to ride came back to her after a few moments, and it applied well to riding the dragonlike beast. Their pace allowed for conversation, so she quickly found herself discussing their goal with Ava, and the hours slipped by without anyone much noting their passing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, at all times: what am i even doing this is garbage  
> me, white writing a chapter: this is a fucking masterpiece
> 
> thank yall for not uh, reading 2 words of this and deciding to shun me and everything i ever make again!
> 
> also, would y'all be interested in a tumblr for this fic? i have a ton left i want to write about so i don't plan on ending it anytime soon. maybe the Big Writers will accept me as one of their own


	9. Traveling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the nsfw is at the end this time

They had been on the road for several hours before something started to be wrong.

Solas noticed it first: apparently, years of traveling alone in the wilderness gave one the ability to sense danger. Aries was quick on the uptake, though, her natural instinct to avoid danger at all costs sounding the alarm in the back of her head.

The Herald, Ava, was next, and Aries could tell by the way her ears flexed slightly. The group fell silent to listen, Cassandra looking around. The woman was a lioness, Aries thought, as she pulled her dracolisk over closer to Solas’s mare, which was one of the few horses that didn’t shy away from the beast too badly. “Probably bandits,” he whispered before she could ask. “All of the animals have gone quiet.”

As she listened closer, Aries heard the unnatural silence as well. And then she heard the whistle of an arrow. It was as if time slowed; she watched it, heading for Ava’s stallion, and as unhurried as anything, she threw magic at it. One hand stretched out before her, and the arrow veered off, landing harmlessly in the dirt. It was not something that Solas had taught her; Aries had learned a great deal of magic on her own. Considering that the basic concept was to toss mana out and then shape it with intent and occasionally a muttered phrase, it wasn’t difficult.

Solas covered the four of them with barriers, as they were close enough at that moment to not leave anyone out, and then Aries watched as froze the archer solid. Ava slid off of her horse, grabbing her sword, and smashed the poor man to pieces. They worked like a well-oiled machine, and it didn’t take long for Aries to work herself in, lobbing a massive chunk of stone at a pair of attackers trying to come up on their other side. Only one stood, so she copied Solas’s earlier work and froze him, letting him fall over and shatter himself.

Looking for her next target, Aries’s eyes locked onto a woman sneaking up behind Cassandra. She moved her right arm in the same motion one would make with a staff and let a bolt of lightning shoot from her fingertips and strike the unfortunate warrior; though she didn’t expect it to, it jumped to two other attackers before dying out. And then it was over. The entire fight hadn’t taken more than a few moments, though it had felt like longer.

She hadn’t been injured, but Aries quickly walked to Ava and Cassandra, and they let her mend their cuts and bruises before the entire group returned to riding.

Real combat was more distressing than she had anticipated, but Aries kept her emotions under wraps, riding quietly and occasionally contributing to the conversation.

 

* * *

 

Their next interruption was when they stopped to set up camp, having eaten in the saddle for lunch. Maneater had to be tied away from the other horses, so Aries cared for her, and everyone else tended to their own mounts before they met in the center of the clearing. It was a small ways off of the main road, hidden by trees. Somehow, there was no snow anymore; though cold, it was bearable. Aries had even removed her jacket after some time.

Cassandra asked Aries to push some magic into her aching joints, so she complied while Solas hunted and Ava gathered firewood. Pain soothed, they put up tents together - there were only two, as two people could share a tent easily. Ava returned with kindling and some branches soon enough and set them up so that Aries could light them easily with a quick spell.

It was at least an hour before Solas returned, and the group spent their time listening to Cassandra’s stories. She was no Varric, but she did have some wild tales from her time as a Seeker. Ava shared parts of her clan’s mythology, and Aries found herself enraptured in a story.

“The god Fen'Harel was asked by a village to kill a great beast. He came to the beast at dawn, and saw its strength, and knew it would slay him if he fought it. So instead, he shot an arrow up into the sky,” Ava said, face cast into shadows of the fire in a way that was effective for storytelling. It seemed like any other night of camping, though Aries had never spent much time camping for fun in her life.

“The villagers asked Fen'Harel how he would save them, and he said to them, 'When did I say that I would save you?' And he left, and the great beast came into the village that night and killed the warriors, and the women, and the elders. It came to the children and opened its great maw, but then the arrow that Fen'Harel had loosed fell from the sky into the great beast's mouth, and killed it. The children of the village wept for their parents and elders, but still they made an offering to Fen'Harel of thanks, for he had done what the villagers had asked. He had killed the beast, with his cunning, and a slow arrow that the beast never noticed.”

The story finished, all three women sat in silence, contemplating it. Aries didn’t hear Solas come up to the fire, and upon noticing a figure, she jumped so badly she fell off the log she had been sitting on and threw magic at him, which he luckily deflected in time. “Sorry, vhenan,” she said, picking herself up off the group. “You startled me.”

“Is that a whole deer?” Ava asked - she was sitting across the fire from Aries and could see what Solas was dragging. Her tone conveyed shock, but Aries had no idea whether that was a reasonable amount for someone to bring back.

Solas shrugged. “The dracolisk needs to eat meat,” he explained. “And hunting is easy with magic.” Ava, though she looked dubious, went over to butcher the carcass enough to get clean meat off that they could cook and eat, and Solas took a seat at Aries’s feet. She moved so that she was directly behind him and used her arms to make him lean back against her shins until his head rested on her knees. He lifted a hand to clasp hers with, holding her right hand with his left across his chest while her other hand rested on his shoulder.

Cassandra made a noise, but Aries just laughed. “Don’t act all disgusted with us, Cass,” she managed. “I know all your secrets, now. What if I decide to tell Varric what you’ve been reading?”

“You _wouldn’t_ ,” Cassandra gasped, and both women dissolved into giggles. Aries ran her free hand over the hair Solas was growing, and he leaned his head into her hand, and she was taken by a sense of contentedness, like she was coming home after a long day.

Ava had by then done a well enough job of cutting meat off of the deer carcass; several hunks were impaled on a long metal rod. Cassandra, as if she did this all the time, took the two other piece of metal that Aries hadn’t noticed and stuck them in the ground near, but not in, the fire. It was a neat way to carry a spit around for cooking, she decided. And then she shook her head and stood, forcing Solas to release her hand, to go drag the carcass to Maneater.

Later that night, comfortably full and having told stories for another hour, Aries retreated into her and Solas’s tent. He followed soon after, and they curled up together, comfortable and safe. In her dreams, Aries walked through ancient ruins. A wolf walked alongside her; his coat was blacker than was natural and when he turned to look at her, he had six glowing red eyes. She was not afraid, though - for she was a wolf, too.

 

* * *

 

The next morning was hectic, and Aries’s dream lay forgotten in the back of her mind as she took down the tent and helped load things back onto their mounts. In the night, Maneater had seemingly consumed the entire deer carcass, which was impressive, to say the least.

Despite the confusion, they were on the road once more just after dawn and were making good time. Most of the morning passed uneventfully, with the group talking quietly to each other. They rode at an unhurried pace - it wouldn’t be good to tire out their mounts so early into their trip - and Aries was beginning to wonder if she enjoyed traveling more than she would enjoy Val Royeaux.

At least, she wondered until they came across what looked like a merchant caravan, in the midst of being attacked by a pack of bandits. Ava muttered something under her breath, already pulling her sword out, and Aries’s face contorted into a snarl. A flick of her wrist and the life of a merchant was spared from an assailant who had been about to gut him like a fish. The man froze solid and stayed that way; the merchant scurried back behind a cart to hide.

From there, the party moved like a whirlwind. Aries picked up anyone who fell and healed injuries on her feet, between defending herself and her companions when danger was immediate. Solas was a force of devastation and controlled the field with a mastery that only came from practice; Cassandra was doing an excellent job of keeping their foes away from either of the mages while Ava took the offensive, throwing herself in front of the bandits and proving her worth as a warrior every time.

Finally, bloody and exhausted, Aries looked up to realize that the fight was over. Solas’s constant barrier had protected her from any damage, but more than once someone had slipped past Cassandra, and when confronted in such a manner, Aries found that her magic relied less on direction and more on instinct, which was, occasionally, “rip it to shreds.”

Solas himself was holding her by the upper arm, looking at her with an expression that was very concerned, but she waved him off. “I’m fine, vhenan. Can you check on Ava? Cassandra isn’t wounded,” she said, and though he frowned, he kissed her cheek and walked off to their young friend.

A merchant was next in line to speak, apparently unwilling to brave Cassandra, who did indeed look far more frightening when soaked through with blood. “Thank you so much for your help, miss,” he said, and upon closer inspection, Aries realized it was the man she had personally saved at the beginning of the fray.

“It was what anyone would have done,” she answered, though she appreciated his thanks. “If you have any injured, I can take care of that for you.”

He looked taken aback at the small kindness. “Well - there’s three of our guards,” he said. “Come with me.” So she did, and found the three guards - a man and two women - sitting on the back of a wagon, all holding their skin together in various places. Bruising on one of the women’s faces indicated a broken nose, as did the massive amount of blood on her face.

Instead of speaking, Aries hurried and sealed up their cuts and stopped the bleeding from the woman’s nose before asking about other injuries as she set the cartilage. The man’s wrist was broken, so she set it on its way to healing, but by then, she was low on mana and far too tired to attempt any complicated cure. Cassandra came and led her away, hand resting protectively on her shoulder. They made a good team - Cass could be more reckless, knowing that there was a healer right behind her, and Aries could focus on healing, knowing that there would be a warrior protecting her.

“I think Solas would kill me if you fell unconscious from exhaustion,” Cassandra was saying, though Aries felt like she was hearing her from very far away. “Here, drink this.” Without asking what it was, she took the glass vial and downed it; it was like fire going down, and it woke her right up. “Ahh, there you are,” Cass laughed. “That’s lyrium. Mana potion. It’ll keep you on your feet, but it’s no substitute for a good night’s rest.”

Aries mumbled a thanks, and rubbed her eyes, blinking several times as the world slid back into focus. She had been more tired than she realized. When she looked around, she saw one of the newly-healed guards handing Solas what looked like a book and pointing at her, but she ignored it and looked again, for Ava. She found the girl leaning on the side of a wagon, talking to a merchant, and with her friends located, Aries let herself consider their mounts.

Maneater had been in the fight, but Aries called her, and she came, teeth and most of her face covered in blood. Ava’s stallion was heading for his mistress, and Cass’s was being soothed by one of the merchants. Solas’s greyish mare was nowhere to be found until she heard him whistle and she came trotting out of the forest, likely having spooked.

She rubbed her dracolisk’s nose, ignoring the blood until Ava gestured for her to join the others. They stood in a circle, each holding the reins for their mounts. Solas pressed the book into her hands before anyone spoke, and said, “He wanted you to have it - a book on magic theories that you may be interested in. He said his daughter was a mage and she was killed in the fighting right after the Conclave explosion.” Aries couldn’t decide if it was just her imagination, or if for a brief moment, Solas had looked guilty.

“Thank you,” she answered, though it felt strange to be thanking him instead of the merchant. “I guess I really look like I don’t have any training, don’t I?” Her tone was light, but it was hard to joke right after a battle, so she tucked it into her saddlebag and mounted up, as did the others.

Ava spoke next. “We’re a little behind now, but it was worth it. It’ll still be a few more days before we get there,” she explained. “The last day or so is on a boat, so maybe four. Move out.”

Aries wasn’t used to the girl giving orders like that, but nor was she used to seeing anyone so young fight like she had. Perhaps she had underestimated her, but that wouldn’t stop her from fretting over Ava’s well-being until the day she died. Nonetheless, she nudged her beast into stepping out beside Solas’s mare.

They were behind Cassandra and Ava, far enough to converse without being overheard, and Solas clearly intended to take advantage of that. “You overextended yourself,” he said, with no preamble. “It was kind of you, vhenan, but you should not have offered to heal as you did.”

“Then it’s a good thing that wasn’t your choice,” Aries answered, too tired to filter her words. The lyrium was great and made her feel physically better, but she couldn’t deny that she needed to sleep. “They may have died had I not. Maybe I’m tired, but I have you and Ava and Cass. There was no one there to stop one of them from bleeding to death or getting an infection.”

It gave her some degree of satisfaction to hear the small _oh_ that Solas exhaled, but at the same time, she almost felt bad over her choice of words. Almost. “You are a better person than I will ever deserve,” he informed her, refusing to meet her gaze as he said it, but before he could continue, Aries cut him off.

“But it isn’t about what you deserve,” she said, back imperiously straight as she attempted to get him to look her in the eye. “If we all got what we deserved, the world would be a very different place. Instead, you got me, and I don’t think about whether or not either of us _deserves_ the other. You make me ridiculously happy, and that is and has always been enough.”

Solas’s expression betrayed that he didn’t know what to say to that, and it took several moments of riding in silence before he answered. “You are right,” he conceded. “What I intended to convey was that you are a kinder person than many that walk these roads.”

Aries smiled at him and nodded when he finally made eye contact. “Then thank you,” she murmured, voice barely audible over the sounds of traveling. “You are important to me; I wouldn’t stand for someone else claiming you don’t deserve me, so I won’t hear it from you, either.”

“You have a rare and marvelous spirit, vhenan,” Solas answered, and they left the conversation at that and caught up with their companions, listening to their idle talk on the merits of different types of swords.

 

* * *

 

At camp that night, Aries found herself reading her new book in her and Solas’s tent. He was reading something different - leave it to him to bring books when traveling - so they weren’t quite as entangled as they usually were. Instead, they sat back to back, leaning on each other. Occasionally, upon reading something particularly incomprehensible, Aries would let her head drop back onto Solas’s shoulder until she gathered the willpower to try and figure it out. Sometimes, she had to ask him to explain a concept to her. For the most part, though, the reading wasn’t bad.

She had found a section on shapeshifting, which she had quickly delved into. Shapeshifting, in general, was considered an apostate’s magic, but as all mages were technically apostates, it didn’t matter if she learned it. She did have to wonder how the merchant had gotten his hands on such a book - though she quickly pushed that to the back of her mind.

The chapter on shapeshifting was intended for someone who wanted to research the theory, it seemed, rather than practical applications, but that wasn’t going to stop Aries. She carefully read the entire thing before setting the book down, marking her page carefully with a strip of wood she had borrowed from Solas. It was rectangular and thin and intricately carved, and apparently intended for that purpose.

Book put away, she turned around, stretching her legs out on either side of Solas’s and wrapping her arms around his chest. Due to the differences in their height, she shouldn’t put her chin on his shoulder, so instead rested her forehead on it and trusted that he could hear her even with her voice muffled by his shirt.

“I want to learn how to shapeshift, and this is all theory,” she said, letting her voice sound a little whiny. It had been a trying day. “Do you know anything about it?”

Though she couldn’t see his face, she could tell that Solas was carefully considering his answer. “I have learned enough from the Fade that I could probably fill in the gaps in your knowledge,” he said, setting down his own book. “Perhaps tomorrow, though. I know you’re tired.”

Well, she was. Aries didn’t bother to deny it, mainly because she was yawning at the time. “I am,” she agreed, before cutting off the light - it was a small werelight that had been feeding off of her mana. It disappeared without a sound, and she used her weight to pull Solas down, so they were lying on their sides.

Silence reigned for a moment, and then Solas broke it. “Ar lath ma, vhenan.”

“Said as if I know what that means,” Aries answered, mouth against his neck.

He chuckled before rearranging them so that they were facing each other. Carefully, he pulled her face up and kissed her. Aries sighed softly when he pulled back and nestled herself into his chest. “It means I love you, dear,” he breathed.

Aries grinned, though he couldn’t see it. “I love you too,” she whispered back. And then she was asleep.

 

* * *

 

The next day was uneventful. Aries felt rested, and even when they set up camp, she found that she had yet to grow tired. They passed the time around the campfire, eating dinner and telling stories. Cassandra seemed to enjoy the drama in Ava’s myths, so they heard quite a few of them. Solas always seemed somewhat bothered by them, but Aries doubted anyone could tell - she only could because she spent so much time physically touching him, and could feel it when he grew tense.

Walking in the Fade was a blessing, but because it was so much easier for Aries to distract Solas there, they found themselves sitting in their tent at the end of the night. Their knees touched, and Aries had both of her hands on Solas’s calf where it pressed against hers as if to hold it there. She listened attentively as he explained what he knew about shapeshifting and answered her questions.

“When learning to shapeshift, you are not immediately able to become anything you wish,” Solas said. “It requires detailed knowledge of what you want to become. What is an animal you know well?”

Perhaps he did not expect the answer that immediately followed. “Wolves,” Aries decided, and before Solas could ask how she obtained knowledge of wolves, she continued, “In Teventer, my former master kept them. Like one might keep dogs. Part of my duties was caring for them.”

“Were they tamed?” Solas asked, openly curious.

Aries laughed at that. She had to. “Of course not,” she muttered. “They tolerated me because I fed them, but wolves are never really _tamed_.”

She did not mention the various times she had hidden in their kennel when her master searched for her, or how one had actually broken the gate to attack an older slave when he had hit her. She had become a member of their pack, one of their pups. She had just been a child.

“Then a wolf it is,” Solas said, breaking her from her thoughts. If Aries wasn’t mistaken, she could detect a note of approval in his voice. “But not tonight, vhenan. We both need to sleep.”

Though she made a vague noise of protest, Aries’s smile quickly turned mischievous. Solas noticed the change in her expression a second too late; she pushed him back and quickly moved so that she was straddling his hips, and had him pinned back onto the blankets they shared. Her hands caught his wrists and held them down.

Perhaps he could have overpowered her, but Solas didn’t struggle as Aries leaned down and kissed him before she pulled back.

“You know how you love me?” she started, and let him make a noise of assent before continuing, “Well, you wouldn’t have any issues with me maybe tying you up a little bit?”

Solas seemed to have difficulty speaking, and when he did, his voice was low. “I am yours, vhenan,” he whispered, and in an instant, Aries had his pendant off, the black wolf’s jaw with the long leather cords. She brought his hands up above his head and quickly wrapped his wrists together before coming back down to kiss him again, letting herself slide along his body until she could feel his erection against her backside.

Aries tugged her shirt off and set it aside; the tent was not large enough to toss things. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Solas go to move his hands, and trapped them back against the blanket quickly. “Stay still,” she reprimanded him, before removing her hand to press both of her palms to his chest. Slowly, she balanced herself and ground against him, earning a moan.

As much as she liked when Solas was in charge, Aries had to admit that being in control like she was had her turned on more so than she had thought was possible. Ignoring her own desires, she slipped down farther, and let her hands catch Solas’s waistband as she went, pulling his pants down enough for his erection to spring free. Precome already beaded at the tip, and Aries licked her lips before delicately wrapping them around his head, reveling in the shocked noise he made.

Clearly, this was not the first time for either of them. They were adults. So Aries wasn’t shocked by the taste, which was somewhat salty but mostly just tasted like skin, and Solas obeyed her orders to keep still, though he couldn’t prevent occasional soft noises. She bobbed her head up and down slowly, pausing to lick up and down the sides when her jaw grew tired. Solas’s considerable length felt larger when it was in her mouth, but Aries had lived in Orlais. She knew some tricks.

The noise he made when her nose touched the sparse hair at the base of his cock was wonderful, if a little louder than she thought one should be in a camp with two of their other friends. Aries pulled back to give her mouth a rest and instead shimmied her own trousers off and crawled back up.

Solas stayed perfectly still as Aries lowered herself onto him, the effort of not thrusting up and simply impaling her showing on his face. Hilted, she leaned down and claimed his mouth until she couldn’t stand the lack of friction anymore. Even then, her movements were slow; she was focusing more on kissing him than on actually having sex.

However she tried to delay it, having Solas at her mercy already had Aries dripping wet. Though her movements were careful, she found herself having an orgasm, and after that, she gave in to her carnal desire. One hand rested on Solas’s wrists where they were bound together and the other pressed into his chest as she rode him hard and fast until she came undone once more, stifling gasps and groans against his shoulder.

Soon after, she felt him tense up, and he muttered her name in a soft warning; Aries drove herself down on his dick one last time as he came. “Mmmm,” Aries managed, lifting herself enough to unwrap Solas’s wrists and return his necklace. “I love you.”

Solas, however, was already taking it back off, and slipping it over her own head. “I love you too,” he said, using his newly-freed hand to pull her back down by the strap for another kiss. Aries didn’t quite know how to react to her now wearing something that she associated with him; it wasn’t the same was when she would take his coat. He had given it to her.

She felt like he had just handed her some significant part of him. But already, sleep began to claim her, and she realized that when she woke in the Fade, Solas by her side and ready to take her hand and guide her through the vast collection of memories, that she was still wearing it.

 

* * *

 

Four days later - four days of Aries wearing the wolf’s jaw and puzzling over why Solas would have given it to her - they arrived at the docks. When they got off the boat, they would be in Orlais. Their mounts were being kept in a stable nearby and would be ready for their return trip. They boarded with little hassle, and the sailing was smooth; Ava and Aries sat above deck, discussing what they wanted to do in Val Royeaux other than their actual tasks, Solas was reading something nearby, and Cassandra was in the lower decks, apparently sound asleep. It was late by the time the ship docked, though.

And they stepped off of the boat, and into Val Royeaux.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also follow the tumblr i made for this!  
> https://sheisnotalavallan.tumblr.com/
> 
> i feel like that url is weird but like i couldn't think of anything else?
> 
> anyway Plz Validate Me, as always, and feel free to send any questions/etc to that blog!


	10. Orlais

Despite the lateness of the hour, the street was crowded as it led into the marketplace. The party went in on foot, lacking mounts, but people still shied away as if afraid, leading to a distressed noise from Ava.

“It’ll be fine,” Aries said, and was going to continue until a green-hooded woman dashed up to them, kneeling immediately.

Cassandra took over the situation. “You’re one of Leliana’s,” she asserted, and the woman nodded. “What have you found?”

“The Chantry intends to meet you on the other side of the market,” the scout answered. “But with them are a great many templars. The people seem to think the templars will protect them . . . from the Inquisition.”

“I did not expect the templars,” Cassandra muttered. “And they wish to protect the people? From us?!”

Aries, while sharing her annoyance over the subject, did not reply. Instead, Ava did, her voice strangely calm. “We knew there would be a reaction, Cass,” she said. “Let’s go see.”

The group moved forward, after giving the scout orders to return to Haven and inform the others there that there would be a delay. Aries found herself admiring the architecture, the outfits of the people gathered. The parted for the group like a school of fish around a shark, which was wise, as Aries stood a good chance of throttling the next person to make a knife-ear comment about her, Solas, or Ava. Especially Ava.

“Three rabbits,” a man whispered, off to the side, and Aries shot a glare at him, making eye contact and holding it until he shrank back, clearly noting how her hand twitched upward before she regained control and fell back into step with Solas.

After what felt like centuries, they stopped before a platform at that back of the market. A Chantry mother stood on it, with a templar and two other members of the Chantry behind her. As soon as the group came into sight, she began ranting. “Good people of Val Royeaux, hear me! Together we mourn our Divine, her naive and beautiful heart silenced by treachery! You wonder what will become of her murderer. Well, wonder no more! Behold the so-called Herald of Andraste! Claiming to rise where our beloved fell. We say this is a false prophet! The Maker would send no elf in our hour of need!”

Aries was already burning up with anger, but Ava still seemed calm, which only served to fuel her fire. How could they stand and insult this tiny girl, this child, who would never raise a hand against any of them? Solas must have sensed her rage, for he put a hand on her arm - she hadn’t even realized she had begun to lift it.

“I make no such claims,” Ava countered. “I simply wish to unite us in repairing this tear in the sky.”

Cassandra, too, seemed increasingly aggravated, but also looked far better at controlling herself. “It’s true! The Inquisition seeks only to end this madness before it is too late!”

“It is already too late! The templars have returned to the Chantry! They will face this “Inquisition,” and the people will be safe once more,” the mother shouted, and Aries watched in abject horror as a group of templars mounted the stage from the left.

None spoke, until the leader of them, who she could only assume was the Lord Seeker, motioned to another who punched the mother square in the face. Aries felt like she was watching in slow motion; all of the sounds had gone quiet so that all that was left was a faint ringing in her ears. Perhaps she had wanted to do the same, but for a templar to do that, something must be profoundly wrong.

Sound resumed as the Lord Seeker was apparently speaking to the templar that had been on the platform previously. The young man, looking hesitant, followed him across the stage and part of the way across the market before the entire group stopped to face the Inquisition.

“I assume you’re not here to deal with the Inquisition?” Ava asked, obviously confused.

“As if there was any need to,” he answered, with the air of someone who thought he was better than the person he was addressing. Aries had heard that tone one time too many. This time, Solas had to catch her by the wrist when she tried to raise her hand and end his life in one movement.

The younger templar seemed to voice a concern that was put to rest before the Lord Seeker continued his speech. “Creating a heretical movement, raising up a puppet as Andraste’s prophet. You should be ashamed. You should all be ashamed! The templars failed no one when they left the Chantry to purge the mages! You are the ones who have failed! You who’d leash our righteous swords with doubt and fear! If you came to appeal to the Chantry, you are too late. The only destiny here that demands respect is mine.”

He was a lunatic, of that much, Aries was confident. “Solas,” she whispered. “Are you sure I can’t just kill him now, so we don’t have to do it later?”

“I am sure, vhenan,” he muttered back, but not before the madman noticed their whispering.

“Knife ears, mages,” the Lord Seeker snarled. “He keeping you on a leash, rabbit?”

Once more, the younger templar opened his mouth as if to question, but the Lord Seeker silenced him with a wave of his hand. “You are called to a higher purpose! Do not question! _I_ will make the templar Order a power that stands alone against the Void. _We_ deserve recognition. Independence! You have shown me nothing, and the Inquisition . . . less than nothing. Templars! Val Royeaux is unworthy of our protection! We march!”

As the group marched out, Aries tore her arm from Solas’s grip. “Cassandra, do you know him?” she demanded, ignoring look on Solas’s face - like he wanted to do some damage control, but had no idea how to begin.

“He took over the Seekers of Truth two years ago. This is very odd for him,” Cassandra answered. “He was never prone to grandstanding or ambition . . . Perhaps we should go to our inn. We’ve been invited to a party the day after tomorrow, so some shopping will need to be done tomorrow, but I’m sure we could find out some information on this development.”

Ava nodded. “I agree,” she said, and turned to lead the way to the inn they had been in contact with. However, she stopped quite abruptly when an arrow, trailing ribbon, buried itself in one of the wooden supports of the platform.

In an instant, the group was covered with a barrier from Solas, and Cassandra and Ava both had their swords halfway out of their sheaths before they realized the arrow had a message attached to it. Aries had known as soon as she saw the ribbon - it was as red as blood. The Red Jennies were calling.

Perhaps calling was the wrong word. In her experience, the Jennies helped out the “little people” by way of favors. Aries had found herself healing for them, when one of their agents was harmed in the line of duty or got sick, or when they found a kid on the street. When a servant was beaten by their master, the Jennies brought them to her before they went on their way with a nasty surprise for a bad person.

“This says there’s someone looking to harm us,” Ava said, reading the letter slowly. “We need to find red items in the docks, the cafe, and the market. And to bring swords.”

Aries’s grin was feral. “I can handle that,” she offered. “Early tomorrow, I can take care of that, and then meet the rest of you for clothes shopping?”

“Are you sure? It seems like it may be dangerous,” Solas said, ever careful.

“I am,” Aries answered, grin never faltering. “I happen to be friends with Red Jenny.”

Ava seemed anxious over it, but eventually sighed and continued walking, letting the group fall into step behind her as they headed for their inn, which thankfully was near the market. It had been a long day, and they all wanted to go to sleep - though Aries was still fuming.

 

* * *

 

 

Of course, that wasn’t it. Of course, they couldn’t just check in at the inn and go to their rooms and sleep. The innkeeper, a tall and broad man, had taken one look at the group and decided that they were lying about being with the Inquisition.

Ava’s first instinct was to try and be polite, but Aries had had _enough_. She stepped forward, toe to toe with the man despite having to tilt her head back to look him in the eye. “I am Aries of Tevinter,” she whispered, setting her shoulders back and clasping her hands behind her back. “I have healed half the population of Val Royeaux. And if you-”

“You-you're the healer?” he exclaimed, cutting her off. “I thought - I’m sorry. You probably don’t remember, but you saved my wife and my son’s lives when she was in labor.”

“I do remember,” Aries said, his change in tone surprising her. “Marie. She named the boy Jonn, didn’t she?”

The man took a step back, bowing his head. “She did, and they’re both still alive and well,” he answered. “I . . . apologize, ma’am.”

“As well you should,” Aries muttered. “Please show us to our rooms.”

The change in the man’s demeanor was astounding as he led the group up a flight of stairs and to the upper story of the inn. It had three in total, but the top floor had bigger rooms. Given keys, Ava and Cassandra disappeared into one room and Solas and Aries into another.

After closing and locking the door, Aries turned and was immediately enveloped in a hug by Solas, which she returned until he released her. “You are fascinating,” he whispered in her ear before kissing her, and Aries thought she might melt.

“Thank you, vhenan,” she murmured back. “I just lived here for a while, that’s all.”

With a grin, he pulled her over to the bed, sitting them both on it before laying do that they were on their sides, facing each other. “Are you alright?”

“I’m not,” Aries said, grimacing even as she rested both of her hands on Solas’s chest. “But hunting tomorrow will help some.”

“Hunting?” he asked, drawing her a little closer to him.

She still couldn’t manage a grin that didn’t look as if she were about to bite someone, so that was what spread across her face. “Is that not what wolves do?” she asked, a sharpness to her voice that hadn’t been there before.

Solas finally closed the gap between them, nearly crushing her to his chest. “It is,” he decided. “Though they usually do it in packs.”

“Don’t worry, dear,” Aries said, nearly laughing. Her mood was swinging fairly rapidly in a way she didn’t like. “The Jennies will have my back.”

“If you’re sure,” he finally relented, and Aries disentangled them, standing and stripping in barely a few seconds - before walking to the bathroom, knowing full well that Solas was watching her as she went. She drew a bath and heated it with a spell before climbing in to scrub the road from her skin.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Aries woke before dawn and slipped out of bed, unintentionally waking Solas as she did. He mumbled something quietly, and she pressed a kiss to his lips before she dressed and walked out of the room. At the door, she paused, considering the idea of grabbing his staff - but she shook her head at herself and stepped outside. Even thinking about it made her anxious.

Unfortunately, her outfit wouldn’t fit in well in the city, but Aries didn’t have another option. In the pre-dawn light, she stuck to the shadows, avoiding people as carefully as she could. First, she headed to the cafe - it would be most crowded later in the day.

Luck was on her side, and she got there before the sun rose, the place still empty. Aries looked under tables and chairs, checking the ground but also the undersides, in case the “something red” was attached as to be out of sight. Finally, she found it, tucked away under a chair. As she was walking out, prize in hand, the first of that day's customers walked in, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Outside, she rested on an ornate bench in the central area of the market to read the message. It mentioned a “third corridor,” and Aries memorized it carefully before folding it and tucking it into a pocket. Then, she stood and decided on her next action. The upper level was closer than the docks, so she disappeared into a stairwell, climbing quickly.

The sun was on its way up when Aries found the sock. Inside was a note and a key; the note explained that whoever had left it did not know what door it went to. She added the letter to her growing collection and slipped the key into a different pocket before making her way toward the docks, walking on the upper level as far as she could before she descended. Orlais really was beautiful - intricately and lavishly designed, with so much attention to detail that she felt she could look at one sculpture for hours and continue to notice new things about it.

The docks, as always, had early-morning men, working on their boats, but Aries crept and with purpose, and found the third piece of fabric and note with ease. Finally, she put the piece of paper together - knowing the Jennies’ style - and found that they formed a map.

Aries didn’t bother going back for any of her friends. She stalked through the streets, following the map carefully until she reached a gate that led to a courtyard. It was light enough to see properly, and the main roads were beginning to get crowded, but the courtyard was secluded, and from the gate, Aries couldn’t see anyone.

She pushed it open and stepped inside, letting it swing closed behind her as she crept into the area.

Immediately, she saw movement on the upper level and froze before ducking out of the way just in time to avoid an arrow that would have hit her. Aries didn’t hesitate and threw a bolt of lighting at the archer, who screamed before falling off of the ledge he stood on. The reek of burning hair and flesh was unpleasant, as was the attention they would soon be getting from any nearby guards, but she had more significant problems as a trio of mercenaries advanced down the stairs.

She froze one as he walked down the steps and he toppled over, shattering into pieces in a way that made her cringe slightly. Aries, a smooth motion, pulled a chunk of rock out of the floor and hurled it at the other warriors, catching both under it. The energy that it took, though, had her leaning against a pillar, letting her stores of mana recover.

Somewhat rested, Aries walked up the stairs and through a door at the top, only to cast a quick barrier to protect herself from the fireballs a pompously-dressed, masked man threw at her. Despite the heat, she remained unharmed.

And, naturally, he was talking.

“After all of your efforts, Herald, you will fall at my hand,” he began. “The Inquisition must have spent fortunes to track me down, all for nothing.”

Aries had to admit, she had no idea what he was talking about, as he rambled on, but even as she was lifting a hand to strike him down, a young, blonde girl appeared, holding a drawn bow. “Just _say what_ ,” she demanded, and the man turned, lips forming a query even as he was shot.

“Sera!” Aries exclaimed, with a laugh, stepping over the man’s body to get closer to the woman. “Oh, it’s been ages. How’ve you been?”

“Ari, there’s more coming but - I broke into a storehouse and took all their breeches!” Sera answered, doubling over in laughter before drawing her bow and putting an arrow through the throat of a very pantsless guard.

The mage threw magic at one of the remaining two while Sera shot two more arrows at the third. Aries observed him, unsure as to what her spell had actually done, though he did seem to be dying. “That’s nasty, _healer_ ,” Sera snickered, lowering her bow. “Where’d you learn that trick?”

“I didn’t,” Aries explained. “And I don’t know what it did . . .” But even as the pair watched, the guard crumbled into dust, leaving half of a uniform behind. “Anyway, what are you doing out here?”

Sera demanded a hug before continuing to speak, which Aries returned. “I could ask you the same! You’re not the _Herald of Andraste_ , I know. It’s that other girl, the younger one with you,” she said, which was not an answer, until she added, “I just want everything to go back to normal. Your Inquisition seems like they want that too, so I want to help.”

Aries grinned. Sera had often been in her clinic with an injury when she had lived in the city. “I’m the Inquisition’s head healer, but recently I’ve been accompanying the team out,” she explained. “So your Friends are ready to help? Ava’s going to love this. Come on, I’m meeting them back at our inn.”

 

* * *

 

On the way back to the in, the girls caught up, giggling as they raced through the streets like children. Aries was actually running at full speed when she saw their inn up ahead, and instead of stopping, she kept on. Solas was walking out of the door, and Cassandra and Ava were already standing outside.

“Watch this!” she exclaimed - Sera was running beside her and laughed out loud. Solas was holding something, but as Aries barrelled toward him, he seemed to realize she wasn’t stopping. Not a second too late, he dropped it, just in time for her to leap at him. He staggered back into the wall, having caught her around the waist. “I found a friend,” she whispered, out of breath and in his ear as he set her down carefully and planted a kiss on top of her head.

“This is Sera,” Aries finally explained, gesturing toward the younger elf, who was grinning from ear to ear. “She’s our Friend, and she wants to help. You should talk to her, Ava.”

Ava was trying not to laugh and failing. “Oh, how did you know he would catch you, Aries?” she managed to say, voice muffled by her hand over her mouth. “It’s nice to meet you, Sera. We’re going out shopping right now, we’re expected at an event later, but I’m definitely interested. Any friend of Aries’s is a friend of mine!”

Aries giggled again, leaning into Solas, who made a disgruntled noise. “Because he loves me,” she stated, and she could practically hear him roll his eyes.

“Yes, vhenan,” Solas sighed, but he hooked an arm around her waist anyway. Quietly, to her alone, he whispered, “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Not even a scratch. Are we ready to go?”

Cassandra looked up at the sky as if it held the answer before saying, “Yes, I believe so. Sera, will you be joining us?”

“I have a few things to do, really,” Sera answered. “How ‘bout we get some drinks tonight, Ari?”

“Sounds good to me,” Aries said, letting Sera give her another hug before she disappeared into the warren of streets. She felt that her mood, though still somewhat sour from the day before, had lifted some.

The group moved on, Aries taking the lead, as she knew her way around. Solas walked a step behind her, to the right, and Ava in the same position on her left, with Cassandra following at the rear. They kept to main streets, as it was safer than trying to take shortcuts through alleyways, though they did have to ignore the occasional shouted insult.

As it turned out, Aries was also the only one who had any idea what was happening with the fashion on Orlais, as well. She dragged them into shop after shop, trying on suitable clothes for each of them. Solas’s hand was in hers, Cassandra was laughing over the impracticality of the outfits, and Ava was making terrible puns.

It was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, i mentioned that i got this notebook to keep myself somewhat organized, right?
> 
> well, what had happened was, i accidentally put WAY too much content in for ch 10. It's getting split lmao. 11 should be here soon! we had the whole hurricane thing, so as soon as I get back on a normal sleep schedule and in classes i should be fine.
> 
> super loving all the support! it's like, i see i have a notification from ao3, and im like YESSSSSSSSS
> 
> remember, i have a tumblr for the fic! i'm more likely to post updates and shit there but i also kinda. it's me reblogging things about solas bc my friends who have yet to finish the game follow my main blog. im awful and i'm in hell, okay, also, i keep forgetting to add what i was inspired by for certain things/etc. like, in the last chapter, the end part, involving someone being tied up, i saw this GREAT art piece for sub solas week (which was ages ago) but i absolutely loved it, lemme see if i can find who it was by
> 
> fuck it i'll just find it and reblog it on sheisnotalavallan.tumblr.com


	11. Orlais (Part 2)

Aries took most of the rest of the day to situate the group with suitable outfits. They were delivered back to their inn as they bought things, ready for the Enchanter’s party, and would be kept with one of the Inquisition’s contacts when the Herald left the city, as they would likely be needed again in Orlais.

 

Cassandra turned out to be the easiest to outfit. She wasn’t picky with clothes, and as a human, most things in expensive shops fit her better than they fit any of the elves. Aries found her a splendid gown with ease - it reminded both women of a sunset, a dark purple at the top that faded through orange to a white hem at the bottom. The top was more fitted, and the skirt loose, which gave her room to hide the several weapons she insisted upon bringing. Small, clear gems also decorated the top, dotting the wide straps and thinning out over the bust. It was sleeveless, appropriate for the weather in Orlais, and the neck was a neat “v” that Cass thought was too low, but Ava agreed looked fine. Despite complaints that it was itchy, the warrior also didn’t like anything better, so they bought it first.

 

The next to find a suitable dress was Ava, and it was a green affair that left no one surprised. “You look like a rift, in all the right ways,” Cassandra laughed, upon seeing it. The dress was in several different shades on green, and matched her vallaslin as well as her eyes. Its top and skirt were both roomy, something Aries liked quite a bit, and it was bound at her ribs with a cord of gold. The gown was floor-length and sleeveless as Cassandra’s was, though the neck was higher and it was attached to what appeared to be a necklace that was really just a curved, thick piece of gold to cover the rest of her chest.

 

It took a little longer to decide on anything for Solas. It wasn’t his fault - in fact, despite that Aries could tell he disliked the process, he stood still and patient and tried on however many different articles of clothing she asked. Oh, how she appreciated him. In the end, they found a white shirt with a collar, black pants and boots, and a blue vest that let the looser sleeves of the shirt billow in the wind. It wasn’t her favorite thing he had ever worn, but Aries admitted that he looked pretty good.

 

Last to decide, Aries took her time before picking out a dress. The make of it was similar to Ava’s, loose with a gold chain gathering it at her ribs, but her neckline was lower, an even deeper “v” than Cassandra’s, and the straps were fine golden chains resting on her shoulders. It was gauzy and the skirt actually dragged somewhat on the ground, so she had to hold it up occasionally. In color, the top was red, that faded down into orange, yellow, and finally white, at her feet. She resembled a fire, and liked it quite a bit.

 

Together, the group was quite colorful, like a strange flock of birds. The day was winding down, however, and they left their pursuing of the various shops in the marketplace as the sun began to set. They needed to head back to the inn - Aries had to meet Sera still, Ava was complaining about the number of people around, and Cassandra had bought a book at one of the shops that she seemed eager to read. The walk back was quiet and companionable, and they parted to go into their rooms.

 

Aries collapsed on the bed, beside the two large bags that contained their outfits for the next day. Solas was somewhat more considerate, moving the bags to the table before he, too, let himself fall onto the bed beside her.

 

“I’m not exactly  _tired_ ,” Aries began, “but Sera still has so much energy, and damn, she likes to drink. We have too much to do tomorrow for me to wear myself out with her.”

 

Solas used the hand that wasn’t pinned under his body to rub circles between her shoulder blades. “Should I go with you?” he asked, after a moment of silence.

 

She sighed heavily, but shook her head. “No, I do want to catch up with her, and she won’t be as comfortable with extra people around. Especially other elves. She wasn’t raised Dalish or even in an Alienage, and she really dislikes all things elfy. Not to offend, vhenan, but you are very elfy.” Explaining this gave her enough energy to sit up, crossing her legs in front of her like a child might and scooting across the bed until she could pull Solas’s head into her lap to run her hands over his scalp.

 

“Perhaps you’re right,” he relented, but whatever he was going to continue with was cut off with a small gasp when Aries ran her fingers along his ear. Rather than say anything, he grabbed the wolf’s jaw that she still wore around her neck and pulled her down to kiss her.

 

Both were giggling, though Aries was sure that later, Solas would deny it, when there was a knock on the door. “I’ll get it,” she offered, already standing.

 

On the other side stood Sera, hand raised to knock again. “Oh! There you are,” she said, grinning already. “Just glad you’re not all naked. Let’s go!”

 

It seemed Aries didn’t have much of an option; she waved to Solas and stepped out, letting Sera grab her hand and lead her downstairs and out the front door. “Sera, Sera, just remember, I can’t be out all night! I’m not as young as I used to be,” she said, hoping that she was heard over the noise on the street as the wound their way toward what she knew was one of the girl’s favorite bars.

 

“Sure, and you probably want to get back to that big ol’ elfy guy you’ve got in there,” Sera laughed. “Didn’t know you liked elves! You told me once they were all too self-important.” hey had reached the tavern, which wasn’t too far anyway, and slid inside. It was crowded and noisy and very much “Sera”.

 

“It isn’t an elfy thing, Ser, come on,” Aries answered, finding them a small table and working through the crowd. “Anyway, he’s important to me.”

 

They took their seats, sitting beside each other as opposed to across the table in order to hear each other better. “He seems pretty elfy to me,” Sera retorted. “Bet that’s his, the thing you’re wearing.”

 

“This?” Aries asked, holding up the jawbone. “It was; it’s mine now. Why do you care so much, anyway? Let’s just have some drinks and you can tell me all the mischief you’ve been up to.”

 

Sera faked a scowl and flagged down a serving girl, ordering them both food and a pitcher of ale to share. “Fine,” she muttered, but she seemed a little happier as she launched into a story about somehow filling several rooms in the Winter Palace with bees.

 

Several hours later - too many - Aries stumbled back into her and Solas’s room, completely smashed and assisted by Sera, who was making very inappropriate comments regarding what she could have done for one of the serving girls. 

 

Thankfully, Solas caught her at the door and had a brief conversation with Sera that Aries couldn’t quite hear. He helped her out of her outer layer of clothes, and into bed, and she fell asleep quickly, tired and safe.

 

* * *

 

 

Naturally, she regretted it in the morning. Aries’s mouth felt like it was made out of cotton and her head pounded when she tried to sit up, unsure what had woken her.

 

“Solas?” she croaked, and there he was, rising from one of the chairs by the table, holding a cup of tea. Reaching out, he handed it to her and Aries took a sip, though it burned her tongue. Then, he bent down and kissed the top of her head before placing a hand on her cheek to heal her hangover.

 

Newly refreshed, Aries smiled up at him. Sunlight was streaming through the window; the city outside was waking up, and so far, the morning was perfect. “Thank you,” she whispered, and he kissed her again, this time on the mouth.

 

“Did you have fun last night?” Solas whispered back, leaving her to her tea and resuming his seat by the table.

 

Aries stood and joined him at the table; she would need to bathe when she finished her tea, but not before. She had never been one for mornings. “I did. Don’t remember a good bit, though,” she said, taking another sip of the still-too-hot tea. Under the table, she linked one of her ankles with Solas’s. 

 

He made a soft, pleased noise and leaned back in his seat; he had been reading something that was lying on the table now. “Good. I would have let you sleep more, but Ava knocked. After you’ve bathed, she wanted to know if you would join her and Cassandra to get ready for the party. It is not until later, but apparently they anticipate taking a while to prepare,” he explained.

 

“Sounds like fun,” Aries answered, setting down her cup to rub her eyes. “I should get in the bath, then. Will you be joining me?” So early, she decided, while she wasn’t necessarily in the mood for sex, she could get there if Solas was up for it.

 

To her surprise, he shook his head. “Not this time, vhenan,” he said, looking up from his book as if anticipating her follow up question.

 

“Is something wrong?” she asked, though his tone did not indicate an issue.

 

“No,” Solas murmured, and she believed him. His expression was so content in that moment that she would believe that nothing was wrong at all - that there was no tear in the sky, no hordes of demons and roving bands of templars and apostates to contend with.

 

Aries  _hmmed_ quietly and sipped some more of her tea. It was nearly at a drinkable temperature, so she threw back the rest of it and stood. “Okay, vhenan. If you change your mind, just knock before you come in,” she said, walking the few steps to the other side of the table to kiss him before retreating to the bathing room. 

 

She drew a bath and used the toilet as the tub filled; indoor plumbing was a miracle. That, or it was magic. Aries didn’t care to ask, as she stepped into the basin of water and let herself soak through for a few minutes. Eventually, though, she had to start washing, so she started with her hair and worked her way down from there. 

 

Luckily, baths were relatively quick, and Aries got out of the water and dried herself off with a spell. A towel would have worked, but her hair took hours to dry at the best of times and she didn’t feel like dealing with that. She did, however, grab a towel to wrap herself in as she left the bathroom. As she was just going across the hall, to Ava and Cassandra’s room, and the only other person that would see her was Solas, she couldn’t bring herself to care and actually put clothes on.

 

She stepped out into the cold air of the bedroom and shivered once before resigning herself to the chill. Solas, however, took one look at her and stood to rummage in one of their bags, returning triumphant with a sweater. It would practically be a dress on her, but Aries dropped the towel and let him slide it over her head, fitting her arms through the sleeves. He rolled them back so she could use her hands, then pulled one of her hands up to kiss her knuckles. 

 

The sweater was a tan color and was longer in the front and back; the sides were cut higher. On Solas, they would be above his hips, but Aries was more than a little shorter, so it was very effective as a long shirt. Now somewhat clothed, Aries darted across the hall and into Ava and Cassandra’s room.

 

“There you are!” Ava laughed. She was sitting at their table, a small mirror resting against a pile of books as a wrestled with her hair. Cassandra was lying on the small couch that sat in front of their fireplace, wrapped in a towel. The layout of their room matched her own pretty well, though it was slightly bigger. “Can you dry my hair?”

 

Aries grinned, and stepped over, using the same spell she had to dry herself earlier to remove the dampness from her friend’s hair. “There you go. We’re leaving in about an hour, right?”

 

“Yes, we are,” the girl answered, pulling a pile of makeup across the table. “Sit down and I’ll do your makeup!”

 

Still smiling, Aries took a seat and let Ava put what felt like a hundred layers of powder and pigments on her face, dutifully avoiding the mirror - if her friend wanted it to be a surprise, so be it. “Cass has already done hers and is just reading until we get dressed,” Ava explained. “Her hair is so short, there isn’t much to be done with it anyway. Here, look!”

 

Finally, she held up the mirror so that Aries could admire her reflection. The look was certainly dramatic; somehow, Ava had gotten ahold of some type of glittery gold eyeshadow and had covered her eyelids with it, using a darker color for the crease of her eyelid, and lining her eyes with a dark substance. Her mouth was painted the same dark red as the top of her dress. Though her face had been relatively clear and unblemished to start with, it had been powdered to hide any small marks. The woman in the mirror was pretty, but she resembled herself very little.

 

Aries decided to ignore it; she wasn’t unappreciative of Ava’s effort and time, and she helped her friend put her hair up while she did her own makeup - with the amount of hair Ava had, it took some time and a little magic to convince it to stay in place comfortably. Cassandra eventually marked her place in her book to put on some eyeshadow and lipstick, though she refused any more cosmetics. 

 

Last to be done was Aries’s hair. They collectively agreed that it would look good curled, so all it took was one more small spell and her hair looked as if she had spent hours on it.

 

And then it was time to get dressed - Aries had left her gown in her room, so she thanked her friends and stepped out into the hall, quickly crossing back. Solas was not in the main area, so she assumed he was in the bathroom and picked up the bag that contained her clothes and shoes. Luckily, the dress did not need to be laced or zipped up, and could be slipped over her head and then the chain at her waist fastened.

 

She was already ready to go, shoes on, when Solas finally walked out of the bathroom. He very carefully kissed her cheek in greeting. “You look fantastic, vhenan,” he whispered, offering a hand to help her to her feet from her chair.

 

“Thank you,” Aries said, smiling up at him and letting him assist her. “Feels like I’m going to suffocate under all of this powder, though.”

 

Solas held out an arm for her to take, and they left the room, nearly literally running into Ava and Cassandra in the hall. “Great, we’re all ready?” Ava asked, though it was more of a rhetorical question, and the group set off.

 

* * *

 

 

The party was being held as a salon that allegedly belonged to Madame de Fer’s lover, a rumor that Aries could confirm as being true. They walked through a large doorway and had the dubious pleasure of being announced - neither Aries nor Solas appreciated the assumption that they were servants - before they could actually join the party. Even then, the Enchanter was nowhere to be found.

 

Before they could split off, Ava to find the mage, Cassandra to watch for danger, and Aries and Solas to dance, but also to listen to gossip, they were accosted by a masked man in a hat that had Aries nearly curling her lip at. 

 

He proceeded to denounce the Inquisition as a feeble grab for power, an accusation that had the elf ready to attack him, had the Enchanter not made a quite grand entrance by descending a staircase and freezing the man solid.

 

“Herald,” Vivienne greeted Ava, nodding to the rest of the group. “What a wretched man. He’s offended you . . . What would you see done to him?”

 

Aries knew that Ava would be merciful, and she was correct. “Let him go, Madame,” the girl answered. “Perhaps he will have learned his lesson. And if not, there’s always next time.”

 

Graceful as a swan, Vivienne released the man and sent him off. It really was quite the scene, and after, she drew Ava off to the side to discuss the terms of her joining the Inquisition, leaving the remainder of the party free to enjoy themselves.

 

As always, Solas and Aries quickly found themselves on the dance floor, following the steps to some fancy Orlesian tune with an ease born of their comfort with each other and pre-established still and coordination. The routine required switching partners multiple times with the other participants, but each managed with grace, and kept an ear out for rumors. Breathless and in need of a drink, Aries was spun back into Solas’s arms, and he dipped her elegantly before standing her up straight.

 

Somehow, he wasn’t even breathing heavier than normally, but Aries took him by the hand anyway and led him toward the nearest servant with a tray of drinks. She plucked a long-stemmed glass of an unknown liquid and gave it a sniff before tipping it into her mouth. It smelled fruity and she determined that it was some sort of juice, though it likely contained alcohol. Reaching around her, Solas took one, as well, saying something quietly in elvhen to the serving girl, who blushed.

 

Aries chose to ignore that. He was, after all, hers - his wolf jaw pendant was even tucked into her dress, as the many folds of fabric hid it excellently. There was enough time for her to catch her breath, and then they were back on the floor, joining in the middle of another dance, though this one was more sedate. 

 

They spun in elegant circles, both careful to avoid the part of Aries’s dress that dragged on the tiles. All too soon, the song ended, and once more they retreated to the edge of the room, this time looking for Ava or Cassandra. The younger girl spotted them first, practically scampering over to say hello.

 

“Vivienne is going to meet us back at Haven,” she explained. “She’s actually left the party to gather her things. Cassandra is ready to go, as well, so if we leave now we can sleep at our inn and then set off in the morning.”

 

She was surprised, but not displeased, when Solas wrapped an arm around her waist and smiled at Ava. “Actually, we would like to stay a while longer. What if the two of you go, and we will leave later?” Aries nodded her approval, and Ava looked to be considering it before finally agreeing.

 

“Just remember that tired and hungover isn’t the best way to start a trip!” she said, disappearing back into the crowd and presumably finding Cassandra to leave. 

 

Determining that they would not be going with the rest of their group, Solas didn’t relinquish his hold around Aries’s waist, instead using it to pull her closer and then step them back into time with the music. “You are perfect, vhenan,” he whispered, against her ear. “I hope you do not mind my wanting to take some more time to dance.”

 

Aries rested her head against his chest and sighed in quiet contentment. “No, I don’t mind,” she finally answered. “Just remember when I’m blackout drunk, this is your fault, and you have to handle it.”

 

He chuckled, and they whispered quietly to each other, drinking and dancing and enjoying Orlais and the Game for the rest of the night

 

* * *

 

 

The main problem that Aries found when she woke was not her throbbing head, nor her dry, cotton mouth, or even the nausea that threatened her as soon as she opened her eyes.

 

None of those things were even a slight issue. The real concern in her situation was that she was not a human.

 

At least, she wasn’t human-shaped. She was having human thoughts, of course. For the moment, she was wolf-shaped. Apparently, all of the practice trying to shapeshift had paid off, and it simply happened that she managed to successfully change her form while drunk. Hopefully it had happened since they had returned to their inn.

 

Aries lifted her head and looked down at herself, curled up in a ball on the bed. Solas was still asleep behind her, and she took the time to assess her new body.

 

She looked similar to the black wolves Ava and her party had encountered in the Hinterlands, with her fur seeming to match her hair when she was a human. Her eyes likely stayed the same, as well. Aries decided that she was close to regular size, for a wolf, though her skeletal frame was still present. She was undoubtedly severely underweight.

 

When she opened her mouth, trying to speak to wake Solas, she found that only a soft whine escaped. Even that small noise sent a wave of pain through her skull, so she settled for nosing at his face. 

 

It took some time, but finally he woke, murmuring in what she assumed was elvhen before remembering common. “Good morning,” Solas whispered, before opening his eyes and apparently realizing she was still a wolf. Without bothering to ask, he reached over and scratched her behind the ear, healing her hangover at the same time.

 

Finally, after Aries gave him an annoyed of a look as she could manage, he grinned at her. “You make a nice wolf, ma’vhenan,” he said. “But you make a wonderful elf, as well. To change, all I believe you must do is release the mana holding you as you are.”

 

Aries took a deep breath and delved into her store of mana, releasing it as she was instructed. A moment later, she was in her perfectly normal elf body. “Of course I manage it when I’m too drunk to remember how I did it,” she muttered, letting Solas kiss her on the cheek before he climbed out of the bed to likely go use the restroom and ready himself for traveling. 

 

She needed a few moments to recuperate, though. The sheets were covered in wolf fur that she had apparently shed, and everything smelled somewhat doggy. Though she no longer had a headache, she was still more tired than she felt she should be, and was not at all looking forward to the trip home.

 

Despite her discomfort, Aries got up when Solas exited the bathroom, and took her turn. Once she had bathed and was free of the wolf-smell, she joined him outside, dressing herself so that they could leave. He had packed for both of them. “Are you ready to go?” he asked, watching her lace of up one of her boots.

 

“Yes, I believe so,” she answered, standing up straight and accepting her pack. Aries slung it over her shoulder and opened the door, taking Solas by the hand to lead him into the hall. Cassandra and Ava didn’t seem to be out yet, so she knocked on their door.

 

“Just a minute!” Ava called, in response, sounding a little rushed.

 

Aries grinned at Solas. “How in the world did we stay out later and get drunker than both of them, yet we’re ready first?” she asked, not really expecting an answer. “I mean, I woke up a wolf!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if u know what's happening in this fic anymore, tell me, bc i have no idea
> 
> remember, i post shit on sheisnotalavellan.tumblr.com! sometimes it's stuff i meant to reblog to my personal blog, but whoops u kno
> 
> i really appreciate everyone reading the fic! its lit. i see that email like 'u got kudos' or 'someone commented' and my heart goes WOOOOO WE'RE DOING IT
> 
> anyway i'm v into, between them as a couple, v explicit consent! i mean im into that for all couples but respecting your partner and their willingness to do things is important. the main conflict in this isn't really an issue with their relationship like that, you know? if i'm not making since i'll probably post something abt this on tumblr lmao


	12. Wolves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in case it isn't clear, after the first line, things are from solas's perspective! it goes back to aries after that part

They were almost back to Haven, and she didn’t think anything of it.

Aries, in stolen moments during their traveling, had gained control of her transformations. There were nights when she slept as a wolf, just because it was easier to deal with the hard ground and the cold in the air. Solas loved it. She wasn’t really sure why, but he seemed very proud of her new ability, thrilled to run a hand over her ears, and he delighted in that she still wore the wolf’s jaw, letting it hang around her neck even as an animal.

She assumed it wouldn’t take so long, too.

But the sun had long since set, and Aries had left their small camp at least an hour before. She wanted to hunt, to stalk her prey, to find out how powerful she really was in this form. Had she known she would be out so long, perhaps she would have explained herself further than a quiet “I’ll be back” whispered in Solas’s ear before she set out into the wilderness. There wasn’t enough snow for her to have left decent tracks, with which to be followed. Despite that, she had no doubt that if he got worried enough, he would find her.

Her current prey was a small deer with a pronounced limp in her front, right leg. The doe was asleep at the edge of a herd of other deer, and Aries knew that if she were with a pack, she wouldn’t have to settle for the weakest of the bunch. Sadly, however, she lacked a community. Her breaths were steady and even, and her movements slow, as she waited for the right moment.

It came quickly. Aries’s heart thudded in her chest as she leaped out of the underbrush and directly onto the animal, sinking her teeth into its throat even as the rest of the herd woke, shot to their feet, and ran. Blood poured into her mouth and spilled over.

The salty taste was strangely delicious, and she decided that as a wolf, she must have different tastes in foods. Her senses were also heightened, and it made sense to her. It took a long time for the doe to stop struggling. When Aries felt it go limp, she jerked her head to tear its throat, relishing in her victory. This was not the first prey she had tried for that evening; it took her time to learn how to hunt like a wolf.

Aries’s happiness was short-lived.

As she began to tear into the deer - she had not eaten dinner, as she had anticipated a hunt - there were footsteps behind her, the noises of someone or something that did not care if it were heard. Aries turned quickly, ready to defend herself should she need to, and discovered another wolf. Her nose told her it was a male; his coat was similar to hers.

The main thing about him was his eyes. He did, after all, have six, and all were glowing red.

She was no fool; this was not really a wolf, and she searched for an escape route, terror flooding her mind. Aries was aware that her fur had bristled, and she bared her teeth in a snarl, but realized that he wasn’t taking an aggressive stance. It was quite the opposite, really. His ears slanted back, and his tail was low as he approached, and she noted that he was actually far more massive than he had at first looked, and he was slouching.

Aries understood how wolves communicated, and everything about his posture screamed submission. In answer, she stiffened her legs and tail, perking her ears up, a clear statement of dominance. It seemed to be what he was looking for, and he relaxed somewhat, as did she. Tentatively, she stepped aside, letting her closer to her kill, which he inspected carefully but did not take any of.

And then, in one swift motion, he stepped back and was a person. Specifically, he was Solas. As soon as she realized that, Aries herself shifted, though it was freezing and she knew that her form as an elf would be naked. He was naked, too, so it was fair.

“Solas!” she snapped, her words coming out somewhat more annoyed than she really felt. “You scared me! I didn’t even know you could do that, because you  _didn’t tell me_ , and you just showed up behind me, with  _six eyes_ , and you  _ **followed me!**_ ”

At least he had an appropriately sheepish look. “Ir abelas, vhenan,” he said, and looked like he would continue before Aries cut him off.

“I don’t know what that  _means_ ,” she muttered.

“I am sorry,” Solas explained. “It means that I am sorry. I should have told you before now. When you didn’t come back, I - I was worried.”

Aries sighed and walked over, resting her forehead against his chest and wrapping her arms around his waist, letting him do the same for her. “I didn’t think I would be out this long.”

She could hear his heartbeat, and it was somewhat soothing. “You made a fine kill, at least,” Solas informed her, and Aries chuckled.

“Okay, love, we either have to be wolves again or we have to go back, right now,” she decided. “I’m going to freeze to death, and then what will you do?”

Solas nodded in agreement, and both stepped back to have room for once more being animals. Aries looked him over again and once more realized how large he was, as a wolf. Perhaps having more experience allowed one to alter their form, or perhaps it had to do with where he learned to shapeshift from. He moved and rubbed against her side, and she took a moment to familiarize herself with his scent before they left the area, him in the lead.

Their brief talk was not the end of that discussion, Aries knew. Despite that she trusted Solas with her life, she had questions, and she was going to get answers. She always did.

 

* * *

 

They arrived back at Haven with little fanfare; it was late, and most of the town’s residents were asleep. Their horses and Aries’s dracolisk were ushered back to the stables for care, and the group separated. Aries, Cassandra, and Ava stayed together, walking to their bathhouse to scrub away the dust from the road, and Solas went to the men’s baths, presumably to bathe.

By the time they were clean, all three were too tired to sit around and talk much. They said their goodnights and left, and though Aries wasn’t sure exactly where they were going, she made a beeline for Solas’s small house.

Inside, she hung her coat on the rack and found him sitting at his desk. “Solas?” she said, to announce herself, and she walked over. He stood without a word and took a step forward to hug her, which was surprising but not unwelcome.

Aries relaxed into his embrace and returned it with as much energy as she could muster. “I love you,” he informed her, and they stood like that for several minutes, enjoying that they were home and safe and together. She needed small moments like that, Aries thought. Eventually, though, Solas’s hands slipped under her shirt, and she tilted her head back to kiss him.

“I love you, too,” Aries answered, as they parted to breathe. His hands didn’t stop their exploration of her back, but she did move to take off her shirt, sliding it over her head and letting it fall to the ground. “You know . . . now that we aren’t on the road . . .”

 

* * *

 

 

Solas grinned somewhat insolently up at Aries. He had been undressed, and she had backed him into his desk chair before using his pendant, the wolf’s jawbone, to bind his wrists together behind his back. Though she retained her breast band and underwear, she was otherwise naked, and he found himself already painfully hard.

He knew that she intended to take her time, because they had so much of it, now that they weren’t forced to be quiet in a tent with two of their companions not outside of the range at which they could potentially be heard. When she ran a hand over his shoulder, letting it rest by his neck with her thumb rubbing the dip in his collarbone, Solas shuddered slightly and was unable to keep his lips from parting a little. How did she do that to him? He couldn’t help but wonder: she was beautiful and kind but full of the same kind of righteous anger that he himself once possessed. Maybe he still did. Once upon a time, he would have put the world at her feet, if she asked it of him. He knew, though, that she wouldn’t ever have. If she were going to have the world, it was going to be through her own conquests, not those of someone else.

Aries was something to be admired. Solas wanted to paint her, to fill halls upon halls with her beauty, to see everyone witness what he saw every day. He hated being away from her. Given the time, he could wax eloquent about her, would write songs and poems devoted to her.

He would have made her a goddess.

The thought of what could have been, though, was infuriating, and Solas knew well to avoid thinking of it. He could not restore Arlathan without losing her, and to do so would kill him as surely as a dagger to the heart.

She broke him from the danger that considering those things brought with a sharp nip to his ear. “Whatcha thinkin’ about?” Aries asked, a sly smile gracing her features even as she lowered herself onto his lap, carefully avoiding any contact with his cock. He loved her so much.

“You,” he answered, and his voice was lower than he expected. Her teeth were in his neck already, and it was a sharp pain that he knew probably drew blood. It was okay; they knew the rules and Aries followed them vigilantly. Any cuts could be healed with magic, but that wasn’t the point.

Indeed, Solas felt a thin line of blood trickle from the mark when she moved back and could see a bright smear of red on her lip. He allowed himself the luxury of wondering what she may have been representative of, in his world, before his folly. Healing was her nature, but she was so much more than that. Aries had a smile made for war. Perhaps she would have been the goddess of justified battles. He could see her, leading rebellions at his side, ready to burn down the world if it would fix things.

Hadn’t he been ready to take that risk?

In reflection, he had. Once more, though, Arie took his attention - Aries, real and alive, in front of him, who had just trailed a finger up the side of his shaft, eliciting a soft moan. Solas’s head tilted back. It didn’t stay back for long, though. She slipped a hand up along his jaw and behind his ear, and he knew to return his full attention to her.

“Vhenan,” Solas whispered, nearly begging, though he didn’t know if he wanted her to continue her game or to fuck him. Aries didn’t answer.

He gasped when he felt her mouth, hot and velvet, on his dick. She made it down to the base before she pulled off and stood, divesting herself of the remainder of her clothing. The sudden cold was unexpected, made worse by the wetness of her saliva still coating him, but he made no noise as she walked behind him and released his hands.

Solas could have undone the restraints with little effort; he wouldn’t have even need magic. The point was not that he was actually physically restrained. The pendant was a physical representation of what he had told her the first time she used it for that purpose - “I am yours.” It rested around Aries’s neck most of the time, tucked between her breasts if she didn’t wear it on the outside of her clothes, but when it was around Solas’s wrists, he obeyed her without question, and he kept his hands where she put them.

For the moment, however, he was unbound, and she was his. In one fluid motion, he stood and turned, grabbing her by the waist and propelling her backwards onto his bed. Their bed. Aries laughed as her calves hit the edge and let herself fall back, and Solas followed her with somewhat more control, so that he was on top.

By that point, they were familiar, and she was wet enough to accommodate him when he slid inside of her, using his hands to hold her wrists down as she writhed against him and forcing her to slow down. It was his turn, now, to set their pace. Solas knew, though, that he wouldn’t be lasting very long.

And he didn’t. As soon as Aries found an orgasm, clenching around him, Solas lost control and spilled inside of her, not that either of them minded. Though she was out of energy to even move, he cleaned them with a spell that was almost automatic at that point and pulled a thick fur over them.

 

* * *

 

 

Aries was having a nice day, spending time with Sera. They had made cookies together, even though Sera didn’t like cookies, and were sitting in the small clinic. The archer was at least not wasting the cookies; she was handing them out to the people that stopped by. Some had injuries, some needed checkups, and some simply wanted to say hello. It surprised her how many people she knew.

Aries was sitting on a stool at one of the tables, making adjustments to a recipe for a poultice to combat infections, when there was a knock on the open doorframe.

“Can I help you?” she asked, without looking up.

“Yes. I am looking for an elf named Aries,” a gravelly voice answered, and she finally glanced up to see who exactly this was. All she needed to see were the white lines marking his darker skin.

In an instant, she was up, scrabbling back from the desk and into the back wall. Despite her intense fear, she raised a hand to cast. Sera looked confused, and was without any weapons - Aries saw her face go through a number of emotions before she opened her mouth and yelled, “ _Solas_!”

And he was there. Solas seemed to materialize from nowhere, staff out. He wasn’t casting, though - his staff blade was resting against the elf’s neck.

“Perhaps that wasn’t the wisest way to greet you,” the marked man. “I understand your fear, but I am not here to capture you. Varric invited me; he seemed to think I could help you with something.”

Aries frowned, but lowered her hand and returned to her stool. She had no idea what he had expected, showing up in full armor with a giant sword, bearing the lyrium tattoos of a Tevinter magister’s favorite slave. “I see. Well, sit down and perhaps introduce yourself properly,” she suggested.

He glanced to the side, at Solas, who didn’t look too happy about moving. “Solas, why don’t you stay?” she added, and they exchanged a meaningful look. One of her hands was clutched around the wolf’s jaw that hung from her neck, the teeth nearly cutting into her palm, and she loosened her grip when she noticed the pain, but she also saw the way the new elf looked between them.

“Of course,” he said, taking the stool that Sera had recently evacuated. Solas left his staff leaning against the wall and stood, arms crossed, beside the table. Sera had apparently decided that there were too many elves in one room and had left.

Aries sighed and gestured to the plate of cookies. “You can have one if you’d like,” she said, and the stranger took one before beginning to speak.

“Thank you. I am Fenris,” he explained. “Formerly owned by Danarius, who is now formerly alive. Varric has explained to me your unique past.”

“I don’t recall telling Varric about that,” Aries muttered. “Whatever. I assume you aren’t here just to nearly get yourself killed frightening me?”

Fenris nodded. “Your former master is still alive,” he said, lowering his voice. “I have sources. They say that he intends to pursue you - despite having freed you, he had heard news of your involvement within the Inquisition.”

Surprisingly, it was Solas that had the most significant reaction to that news. He visibly tensed up and walked to Aries’s side, where he put an arm around her waist and pulled her against his side. She accepted this and looked up at him, and they once more had a silent conversation made up of facial expressions.

“It’s going to be okay,” Aries finally said, aloud. “The Inquisition will protect me, you will protect me, and I am not defenseless.”

Fenris was silent for a moment before continuing. “Or, instead of waiting for him to send people after you, we could hunt him down and kill him,” he suggested.

“Oh, I like that idea,” Aries admitted.

She expected Solas to disapprove, and she was wrong. His expression was nearly concerning in its anger, though it wasn’t actually that far removed from his usual mask. He was in the process of schooling his features into polite indifference, but Aries saw. “I agree,” he finally said, voice carefully level. “When do you expect to go? We are needed here.”

Fenris tilted his head to acknowledge the lack of time. “Soon. I am needed elsewhere,” he explained. “However, we do not need to travel to the Imperium to find him. I have it on good authority that a week from now, he will be in Redcliffe for a transaction. Of course, he usually buys from his home in Tevinter, but this is a special occasion.”

“What occasion is so important?” Aries demanded. “He only rarely left when I was his slave.”

“He’s collecting you,” Fenris said, looking somewhat devious. “Or so he thinks. Hawke is going to meet us there; he will be using a fake name and will pretend to have captured you for the reward your former master is offering. And then you can kill him. Or I can kill him, if you’d rather not. Or Hawke can kill him. You’ve got options.”

Solas tightened his grip around Aries’s waist, and she leaned into him - a precarious thing to do while sitting on a stool. “I do not like her being used as _bait_ ,” he said, an edge to his voice that hadn’t been there before. He looked like he was going to continue, but she placed a gentle hand on his wrist.

“I don’t mind,” Aries informed them both. “It’s going to be okay, vhenan. Even if we’re being double-crossed, there is nothing I wouldn’t do to avoid slavery. I’ll burn Redcliffe to the ground before I set foot in the Imperium again.”

He sighed but dipped his head. “If you’re sure.”

Fenris had watched the exchange with sharp eyes, but didn’t comment. “Then we’ll leave in about two days,” he decided. “And then we wait in Redcliffe. Aries, would you like to perhaps get a drink and compare notes on Tenvinter?”

Aries smiled at him, but shook her head. “No, thank you. I don’t like talking about it, and I have plans for this afternoon anyway. I appreciate the offer, though,” she said, unable to figure out if he was asking her on a date. It would be terribly bold of him, if so, but she decided to put it out of her mind.

 

* * *

 

The “plans” Aries had used to decline Fenris’s offer were actually hunting with Solas. Later that day, they wandered into the woods, presumably for a walk. Once out of sight of the Inquisition’s watchmen, they removed their clothing to avoid tearing anything and shifted into wolves. They left their clothes in a pack that Solas had thought to bring, and she remembered that he was likely experienced with being a shapeshifter. Aries grinned at him, and he had pulled her in for a kiss, albeit brief, before taking a step back becoming a wolf.

Solas’s form was still abnormally large and still had six eyes, something she had not yet gotten the chance to discuss with him. In truth, it had slipped her mind entirely. He made a short display of submission, reminding her once more that she was in charge and that he was fine with whatever she wanted to do and wherever she wanted to go. She thought it was a little odd - she really wouldn’t have minded him making the decisions, but she did have to admit she appreciated what she suspected to be the sentiment.

Aries still felt like most of the day had been a dream. She was still getting used to Sera’s presence, and it was really a chore to avoid arguments with her. Then some random guy shows up with a plan to help her kill her former master and thus avoid having to deal with the people he intended to send to capture her. And now here she was, a wolf, standing beside her . . . lover? No, that was the worst possible word to describe someone with. Her partner, perhaps. Her partner, who was also a wolf for the moment.

All of it was very strange.

A nudge on her shoulder snapped her out of her thoughts, and she looked up to see Solas giving her a concerned look, so she pressed her muzzle to his cheek before taking a few steps forward and sniffing the snow. There were no recent tracks that she could see, and every scent was too dampened by the recent snowfall to be useful.

She didn’t have to look to know Solas followed her when she left the small clearing, slipping between the trees and carefully minding her step to avoid twisting an ankle. Aries knew that she wouldn’t have to think about walking in this new shape once she got more used to it, but for the moment, she would prefer to minimize the risk of injuries. He walked slightly behind her and to the right, leaving a row of tracks beside hers that really displayed how large he was in comparison - each pawprint of his was twice as wide as one of hers.

When she took off at what might be described as a gallop, were she a horse, he followed, unquestioning because she had caught a scent or seen a track and she was going to hunt down her prey, with or without him.

Later, they found themselves in a snowy meadow, Aries curled against the mass of Solas’s body for warmth in the cold conditions. The outer layers of her pelt were protecting her from the wet that threatened to seep down to her skin, but she didn’t mind. As the hour got later, they collected their clothes and returned home to Haven, a contented and lazy smile curling the corners of her mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have i mentioned lately that i'm a wreck?  
> anyway uhh, follow sheisnotalavellan.tumblr.com for my absolute shitposting but also sometimes updates! if yall want im gonna start putting 'deleted scenes' on there (not that i make a habit of deleting scenes). 
> 
> thank yall for reading this and leaving comments/kudos/etc! 
> 
> also im lookin for a beta reader! i've realized i keep having little mistakes and stuff that grammarly doesn't catch. hmu on tumblr if ur into it
> 
> EDIT: i feel like im updating this in the hopes that the fics i read will update lmao what the fuck is up


	13. Master

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sry bout the wait, but not really

The journey to Redcliffe village didn’t take more than a couple days on horse- (and dracolisk-) back. Ava had ended up insisting on accompanying the group, using the excuse of speaking to the mages there regarding joining the Inquisition. Aries was glad that the young woman trusted them enough to watch her back - she had a suspicion that they were walking into some sort of trap.

Their plan was relatively simple. Hawke - who Aries only learned was actually in hiding and was the Champion of Kirkwall though Fenris - was going to meet her former master in a cave near the town; Ava and Fenris would be hidden outside to step in if needed, and Solas and Aries would be posing as having been captured. He was still somewhat angry about the arrangement, but that night, she had looped their pendant around his wrists, sat him down, and reminded him that this was important to her and that he needed to trust her judgment.

And he said, “Yes, vhenan,” and didn’t mention it again.

They arrived the day before her former master was due. Aries refused to even think of his name, but when they were in the inn, unpacking, and Solas had gone to check on Ava and Fenris, she declined to go with him and instead sat on the bed in their room. It crossed her mind for the first time in years, not his name, but the way he smiled when he would burn letters into her skin. How it amused him so to watch her bite her lip bloody trying not to scream when he would stab thin knives into her flesh.

She never knew what she was being punished for. She no longer had the scars he left her, having healed them as soon as she could, but she couldn’t stop remembering. Solas returned to their quarters to see her sitting on the bed, hugging her knees, face tearstained. Aries couldn’t see or hear him, but after a moment, she felt a soft touch on her shoulder and nearly fell off the bed because she scrambled back so quickly. Her breaths were hard and fast, but once she realized where she was, she allowed him to gather her up in his arms and hold her like that until she could calm down.

“He will pay dearly for what he has done, vhenan,” he whispered, against her shoulder, and Aries didn’t miss how his arms tightened around her. They had somehow taken their usual position for reading, with Solas sitting behind her and with her back to his chest, between his legs.

Aries smiled, even though he couldn’t see her. “When things got particularly bad, I would imagine how I’d like to kill him,” she explained. “I did not think I’d ever get this chance. I don’t really know what to do, if that makes sense. I don’t even know if I can.”

Solas made a soft noise and ran a hand across her stomach before speaking. “I will if you ask me to,” he offered. “If I could have, I would have hunted him down long before now. No one will ever harm you again.”

“Oh, I know,” Aries said, finally laughing a little. “I will never be afraid of a person again. I suppose I have him to thank for making me the person I am today, but I have lived in fear of him for so long. And tomorrow, perhaps I’ll tear out his throat.”

He seemed amused at that, but instead of speaking, he took the hand that didn’t rest on her abdomen and tangled his fingers with hers, where her hand rested on his leg. They sat like that for a while, until Aries fell asleep against his chest. She was very tired and the next day was very important, so he let her sleep for a while like that, and then carefully positioned them to a more horizontal state.

There was a soft knock at the door, but Solas ignored it, and after a while, they were both wandering the Fade.

 

* * *

 

The day dawned bright but still cold. The group sat in Fenris’s room and had gained a member - Hawke. Aries examined him with a sharp eye, taking in his dark hair and carefully trimmed beard. His eyes looked almost gold, and he had wrinkles, but a bright red stripe was smeared across his nose and cheeks, like war paint. Perhaps he was older than he was when he was adventuring as the Champion of Kirkwall, but weren’t they all getting up there in age? Except for Ava, of course.

The four of them, Solas, Aries, Fenris, and Ava, were sitting in chairs while Hawke stood, explaining the plan one more time. In his hand, he held two lengths of rope, and even as he spoke, he invited Aries to come and let him tie her hands, to ensure she would be able to easily escape the bindings.

“Of course,” she said, standing and turning. Solas was watching her back, she knew, vigilant as always. Hawke was a strong man, a warrior, but he was gentle and careful in tying her wrists, and Aries removed the rope in barely a second when he asked her to try them.

“That’s great. Now, we need to head out,” Hawke decided, looking out of the window at the sun. “It’s within walking distance. When we clear Redcliffe, I’ll tie you two, just in case. Ava, remember, you have Solas’s staff, so as soon as you hear fighting, don’t forget to give it to him.”

They all made noises of assent before making their way downstairs and outside, onto the street, which was still empty but for a few farmers at that hour. It was only a few moments before they were in the relative wilderness and Hawke was binding first Aries’s hands, then Solas’s. They walked in a line, Aries in front, Solas in the middle, and Hawke behind them. Fenris and Ava split off to hide nearby.

Aries was shaking and visibly anxious and upset, which added to their ruse, but her feelings were quite real, and she only hoped she would be able to fight properly. Her master had surely brought guards - and she mentally reprimanded herself for referring to him as “her master” because he was no longer any such thing.

The opening of the cave came into view, and indeed, there was a lone guard stationed outside, looking a little bored. It was possible he didn’t understand the value of Hawke’s “prisoner.”

When they stepped inside, the difference in temperature was immediate, and Aries’s shaking only grew worse in the cold. Ahead, she could see torchlight and several men. Her master was one of them - no, no, she had to stop thinking that. Her former master was one of them. Her would recognize him anywhere, even in the poor light.

“It’s me!” Hawke called, and they weren’t attacked as they walked forward and into the light. Aries could see him better, here, and nausea rose in her throat. She knew he could tell. He knew everything.

His grin was sharp as the knives she could feel digging into her body, and she fought the urge to crumple to the ground. “Kneel, girl,” he said, and his voice was rougher than she remembered.

Aries knew her companions were waiting for her signal, her indication that she was ready to fight, so she swallowed thickly and discreetly shook the bindings from her wrists. Quick as anything, she tossed magic at his small cluster of guards, and it came out as fire. The small space filled with screams, but they were injured, not killed. And the magister had pulled out his staff.

Ava and Fenris were delightfully on time, and Solas froze a man that Fenris promptly shattered. After a few moments of ferocious combat, Aries stood with her former master’s staff in her hands, the end pointed at his throat.

She looked him in the eyes and saw his fear, his understanding that he fucked up, but at that moment, she broke. “Solas,” she said, tone nearly begging, and he understood, sweeping her behind him.

Long fingers wrapped around the man’s throat and Aries could feel the anger practically radiating from Solas. He had broken, too, somehow. When he saw his vhenan fold in on herself, perhaps. When he noticed her hand loosen on her stolen staff and he realized she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Aries was aware that he didn’t know everything this man had done to her, but through memories, in the Fade, she had shared enough. Solas lifted him into the air and pressed him against the rough wall of the cave, and even though he leaned him and lowered his voice, she could hear him, and she saw the way his eyes turned white, glowing softly.

“You are a fool and a pretender,” Solas said, but he didn’t quite sound like himself. “You are not fit to live with pigs. The woman who had bested you today is ma vhenan, my heart, and you  _hurt her_. You kept her as a  _slave_ , and because you live, she feels unsafe. Know this,  _magister_. For her, I would have torn Thedas apart to find you. I am the Dread Wolf, and in ages past, I broke the chains of the slaves and led them in rebellion. You dared to stand before me and command her to kneel, and for that alone you deserve death. I can still see your name carved into her skin. I want you to drown in your own blood.”

It was perhaps more aggressive than Solas usually was. He was choking her former master, but in an instant, he moved his hand, and a fountain of blood poured from the man’s throat. He had torn it out in one motion. Only after he dropped the hunk of flesh and skin that he was in his hand did Solas seem to realize that everyone present was looking at him with absolute shock.

Ava was blinking rapidly, one hand over her open mouth. Her sword hung, forgotten, from the other. Fenris and Hawke shared a glance that no one else could read, and Aries’s eyes were wide.

“Solas,” Ava began, and stopped. “Solas. It would appear.”

He looked down at his hand; his entire arm was covered in blood, and his staff lay on the ground where it had at some point been dropped. “It would appear, indeed,” he answered, “I suspect you have questions.”

Ava nodded. “Just one, really. But there will be more, later. It would appear . . . that you have not been truthful regarding your history. It would appear that you are perhaps Fen’harel.”

Solas sighed deeply, still looking down at his blood-soaked arm. “It does appear that way. Perhaps because it is that way.”

There was a soft thud as Aries sat on the ground, ignoring the blood that soaked into her pants. She watched Fenris and Hawke exchange another glance, before Hawke said, “This seems very . . . personal. We’ll meet you back in Redcliffe.”

No one answered him, but they slipped out anyway as Aries finally figured out something to say. “This explains a certain amount of things,” she whispered. “Ava, I didn’t mention it because I didn’t think to, but he’s a shapeshifter. I am, too, but he turns into a huge black wolf with six eyes.”

“Fen’harel,” Ava said, wonder in her voice. “I’ve been running around with Fen’harel this entire time.”

Aries snorted with laughter, despite the terrible situation they were in. “You think that’s bad? Ava, I’ve been having sex with Fen’harel,” she muttered back. “V-vhenan?”

Her tone was hesitant, but in a heartbeat, Solas was kneeling on the ground beside her, looking like he didn’t quite know where to put his hands. “Ir abelas, ma lath,” he said quietly. “I . . . I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“Clearly,” Aries answered. “Okay. I can handle this. I mean, what a way to find out. I guess no one’s ever going to doubt that you’re in love with me.”

Solas finally placed a hand on her cheek, cupping the side of her head, and she leaned into it thoughtlessly. “I do,” he admitted. “I am. We have a lot to discuss, but . . .”

She leaned forward until her head rested against his chest. “I know. I love you, too. I promise I’m not going to leave you over suddenly being informed that you’re the ancient elven god of betrayal, or whatever.”

“I did not ask to be called a god,” Solas said. “But I believe we should continue this conversation at the inn. There should be a stream or pond nearby that we may use to clean ourselves.”

Aries considered that for a moment before shaking her head. “No, no, you’re explaining this right now,” she insisted. “Ava, I understand if you want to wait outside?”

The younger girl nodded quietly. She seemed to be taking the knowledge that one of her good friends was the “bad guy” in her people’s mythology very well, but Aries could hear her quietly mumbling to herself as she left the cave and felt a pang of concern. Perhaps she wasn’t doing so well, after all.

“You’re going to have to fill me in on why Fen’harel is such a terrible thing to be,” she finally said, pulling back to force Solas into eye contact. “You should have been honest with us, but I want to know why you weren’t.”

“Thousands of years ago, before the fall of Arlathan, the Evanuris ruled,” he began. “Those that modern Dalish elves worship as gods. They were immortal and simply more powerful than the rest, but began to believe themselves gods. They kept slaves from the lower classes, marked with vallaslin that represented them. There was much fighting between them, and eventually, Mythal summoned me and asked me to take an elvhen form, to be her general.”

Aries had been listening with rapt attention, but at this, she lifted a hand slightly in a nonverbal request to ask a question. “You say that like it’s normal, Solas,” she said, after struggling for a moment to find the proper words. “Are you saying you weren’t an elf before? If not, what were you?”

“I was a spirit of pride,” Solas answered. “In those days, it was not uncommon for spirits to take on a physical body. They - we simply became elves. So, I became Mythal’s right hand, and I led her armies, and I defended her with my life. After a long while, however, I became disillusioned with their society and my place in it. You see, I bore Mythal’s vallaslin, and however she treated me, I was a slave in all but name. So I broke away, burned my markings off, and began to form a rebellion.

“The false gods called me Fen’harel, the Dread Wolf, as an insult, but I took it as a badge of pride. It inspired fear in my enemies and hope in my allies. However, the Evanuris overstepped. They killed Mythal in retaliation, and I . . . formed the Veil to trap them in the deepest reaches of the Fade. I did not understand the impact this would have on the people, and the act left me so weak that I was forced into uthenera, the eternal sleep - though clearly, it was not actually eternal - and I woke roughly a year before the explosion at the Conclave.”

It was a relatively short explanation, Aries thought, considering that there was likely a lot of detail that he was leaving out for the sake of not being in a cave all night, surrounding by bodies and covered in blood. “That is a lot to process,” she finally decided, and when Solas stood and offered her a hand, she accepted it, letting him pull her to her feet. “There has to be something else, though.”

Solas grimaced slightly but nodded. “Perhaps it is better that you asked for this to be explained now,” he muttered. “For if you decide to kill me, there will be fewer witnesses. Once this is over, once the Breach is sealed, I intend to tear down the Veil once more and restore our people. But the return of my people means the end of yours.”

Aries blinked once, then twice, trying to comprehend the words he had just said. “Solas,” she began, “I am not going to murder you. Probably. Because I love you. If I didn’t, if I didn’t think you were needed to seal the Breach, I would. That’s genocide, dear. And it’s also not really . . . a good plan. Removing the Veil will not magically restore everything that once was, but you can make things better here without doing that. Trust me. I was a literal slave; I’ve seen the lowest we can get. But you’ve already freed the slaves once; why shouldn’t we do it again?”

“Are you suggesting that after the Breach is sealed, we . . . I’ll have to think about it,” he finally decided, after a long pause. “Now, are you ready to go back?”

 

* * *

 

 

Night found them in the inn once more - Ava had decided to delay her talk with the mages to listen to Solas’s explanation, instead opting to meet them the next day. Aries was situated in the Herald’s room, on her bed, and had not spoken a word to anyone since they’d gotten back. The younger girl’s embarrassment over having not noticed that their close friend was, well, the Dread Wolf was nothing compared to Aries’s intense flood of anxiety and insecurities.

It wasn’t that she was jealous, though that Solas had surely been with (or at least had the opportunity to be with) women far more attractive or compelling than she was not far from her mind. In truth, the former slave hated that she found them on such an uneven playing field. Before, she had been a “freed” slave that was doing her best to survive, and he had been a wandering apostate that cared more about knowledge and learning than he did a fight. And now she was the same, and he was an ancient god.

The door creaked open, and Aries realized she hadn’t heard a knock, though clearly, Ava had, as she had stood to see who it was. There was a brief discussion before she moved to let him in - even when whispering, Aries could recognize Solas’s voice. He said something else, and her friend tensed so dramatically that she could see it out of the corner of her eye.

Whatever he said, Ava eventually listened and stepped out of the room to give them some privacy. Still, Solas didn’t speak directly to Aries, instead walking around the bed where she sat until he was in her clear line of sight. Only then did he step forward and reach out a hand to her.

“Vhenan?” he asked, voice still soft, and it made her think of their bed back at Haven and a handful of mornings when she’d woken up to that exact word in that exact tone.

Aries tilted her head back, finally, to look at him, and after a moment, she extended her own hand. He folded his fingers gently around hers and joined her on the mattress, though his legs dangled off the edge. “I . . .” she tried to begin, but her voice is somewhat creaky, so she made another attempt. “It’s a lot to process.”

Solas squeezed her hand carefully, as he always was, and Aries found herself tearing up. “I am sorry,” he said, but even through her tears, she could see the sudden look of panic on his face. “Please, ma lath, I never meant to . . .”

“It . . . it isn’t your fault,” Aries choked out, and then her restraint was gone, and she sobbed, leaning forward until Solas could wrap her in his arms and rub circles in her back. He shifted her forward on the blankets to pull her halfway into his lap.

She couldn’t see the tense line of his mouth, but she did hear him whisper, “Yes, it is,” into her ear. “So many things are my fault. I love you.”

Aries’s voice wasn’t working quite right, but she buried her face in his shoulder, ignoring that she was getting tears and likely snot on his shirt. “I love you, too,” she choked out. And then everything was a little blurry, because he had picked her up and taken her into the bathroom, stripped her clothes and drawn her a bath. The water - too hot from a fresh spell - burned her but the heat was cathartic, and she let Solas, still fully clothed, massage soaps and oils into her hair and skin, let him lift her from the water when it neared lukewarm and dry her off, let him carry her back into the main room and tuck her into bed, let him slip under the blankets behind her and fit himself to her back.

Let him take care of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so uh, what happened was, don't judge me, i finished homestuck. oddly enough i didn't have reliable internet when it was popular, despite being in the rough age range that it appealed to, so one of my friends made me sit through the boring as shit first part and get to the cool shit  
> official diagnosis is that homestuck is cool as shit, and the fanbase was just super fucking weird for a while and now everyone's like oh no homestuck  
> anyway i hyperfixated bad as hell, which i've done a lot in the past, including on this tbh, and ended up reading a LOT of fanfics. a lot. an absurd amount. even with my filters it's a huge amount to read in such a short time.  
> i couldn't decide how to end this chapter, though. i was thinking sex, bc i mean, that would be a nice way of aries reminding herself that solas is hers and even if he's the dread wolf, she can still tie him up, and then i said, wait, no, she's fucking exhausted and just had to see and hear the guy that tortured her for a lot of her life, and now her boyfriend's the dread wolf, and she needs a fucking break, so you got this.  
> i'd honestly be pretty happy to end this here. the Big Reveal happened, i guess. aside from regular inquisition things there's not much more i feel the urge to write. maybe i'll do another chapter summing up what they do, bc a lot of my headcanons for them are pretty fucking cute.  
> thoughts? i'm gonna mark it complete anyway, but like, if you wanna see anything specific/how they deal with certain issues, idk, that kinda stuff. lemme know.


	14. Misc.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> was asked for Extra Shit that i THOUGHT while writing but didn't necessarily add/mention  
> if this doesn't make sense, it's bc i took an edible immediately before sitting down to write. also bc a lot of my thoughts dont make sense. there's a really good chance something here's gonna contradict something that's already in the fic - if so, just assume i'm a dumbass.

Big Thing:

dont remember if i mentioned the first part of this, cause i have a shit memory

solas is like "babe sorry i was gonna destroy the world like an asshole but i decided not to (as opposed to only having a serious attachment to the inquisitor, he's got Ava AND Aries, for whom he's a father figure and . . . . lover, respectively. more "real people" = less murder, right). he admits to not being sure what they're going to do next, because i mean, he spent a while on that plan! Aries, by this point, has done research on the Dread Wolf. she convinces him to go to tevinter and just wreck their shit. i mean, no one there can legally claim ownership of her, but why not just free all the slaves again? Solas was doing that in the first place, might as well.

they end up forming a sort-of organization with Sera (after agreeing to disagree on a lot of topics). wearing masks, breaking in to houses, freeing slaves, taking them to a safe place, all that chill stuff. Solas and Aries never go on raids at the same time, mainly because they both claim to be the Dread Wolf when someone asks. (this is likely the result of Aries making a joke about taking Solas's name, as in marriage, that's just a little too drawn out by this point.) 

this leads to newly-freed slaves being very confused upon seeing them in the same room/asking for the Dread Wolf and being taken to Aries when they had thought it was Solas (or vice versa). unless it's an emergency, Aries will feign ignorance that there's another Dread Wolf at all - after all, there are very few situations in which she can't help just as Solas could.

* * *

 

what happened to Ava?

good question!

after That Darkspawn Asshole had the shit kicked out of him, she has a recovery period (suddenly not having the weight of the world on your shoulders is intense). Solas reclaims his mark, but Aries still has to amputate the hand (at least it isn't her entire forearm). she works with Dagna to build a prosthetic, but it's pretty clear she won't be able to use a weapon that requires that hand again. 

she's asexual/romantic (also she's so young it would be fucking weird to have her in a relationship with most of the inquisition) and ends up moving back to her clan, where she's celebrated as a hero. the center of operations for the inquisition remains at Skyhold, and they communicate with her via raven and occasional visits, but for the most part, her advisers handle everything - now that she doesn't have to be the one that runs around closing rifts, she wants time to relax without her decisions being based on how many more people would die if she chose wrong. 

Varric, after becoming the viscount of kirkwall, gives her a house there, but whenever she visits, Ava insists on staying at his home (and how could he say no to the face??). her reasoning is that there's no one at her house and it's empty, and she's there to visit him anyway, but she really wants someone to be close in case she has a panic attack. they grow fewer and father between as the years go on, but it takes her a long time to recover completely from the horrors she's seen and been though. 

* * *

 

all those rifts that were still open?

Solas has his mark again and, when Aries is being the Dread Wolf for a while, he travels and closes them. yeet that shit right out of here.

* * *

 

what happened between ch. 13 and the end of the main game storyline, tho?? and other companions?

all that regular shit that happens in the game, probably minus some stuff and plus some other stuff, but mostly not that noteworthy.

\- Dorian, though he doesn't understand why for a long time, freaks Aries out and just seeing him gave her panic attacks for a while, and Solas didn't move into the rotunda until they stopped. after several months of steady improvement, she manages to sit down with him and explain her circumstances. she still tenses up when she hears his voice, and he hates it, but they worked on friendship and trust. on Aries's advice, he doesn't move back to tevinter, and ends up living in Kirkwall part of the time and travelling with the Chargers (and Bull) the rest of the time. because they're gay. occasionally, Aries and Solas will contact him for advice; Aries knows tevinter, but Dorian tends to have a different perspective. 

\- Iron Bull and Aries are relatively instant friends. they accompany Solas when he goes to close rifts, though not officially (Solas was never given a choice. elvhen god or no, Aries refused to let him go alone, and ended up hiring the Chargers behind his back. he knew relatively immediately and decided that it wasn't worth rehashing the argument with her), "run errands" (as she says) for Ava and the Inquisition, and take regular mercenary jobs in between (for ludicrous amounts of money - they're quite famous after helping save the world). (okay right here, after this bullet point, this is the point at which i was a little too not-sober to write, so i stopped and came back to it the next day. it's the next day.) Krem, my main man, my bro, my dude (i'm fuckin offended he wasn't romancable), he stayed with the Chargers as well, but ended up having a thing with that bard.

\- Sera, as stated above, resolved her new differences with Aries and they settled back into being friends. she never quite came around with Solas, but they get along okay now that they're working toward a common goal. she realized eventually that she, too, could do that "running and Solas and leaping into his arms and he'd drop whatever he was holding to catch her" thing, and now she does it at least once a week. she and Dagna are a couple, though the dwarf decided to stay at Skyhold. travelling to visit is a pain, but they make it work.

\- Blackwall. wow i gotta think abt this one. i dont think i EVER wrote him in the fic tbh. im the worst lmao. let's assume he joined the inquisition, chilled for a while, his personal questline happened, Ava went and got him, and made him actually join the Grey Wardens after the main story was over (that was an option, right?). he does that, but he's always on call for the lady inquisitor - and, of course, her advisers, especially Josie.

\- Vivienne never developed the same attachment to the inquisition that most of the inner circle did, and her lover's death took a heavy toll on her. she decided to stay at Skyhold, still researching ways to extend a person's life or restore their youth. 

\- Cassandra did not become the next Divine, and threw herself into rebuilding the Seekers. she maintains regular contact with Aries and Solas as well as Ava. Varric always sends her copies of his books when they come out and she stops by for a while when her work takes her near Kirkwall. 

\- Cole. yeah. Cole, at Ava's insistence, became more "human" to avoid being bound. (okay im gonna b real. i could not for the life of me remember what Cole actually does after the main storyline if he isn't dating Maryden.) he stays at Skyhold and befriends Vivienne, eventually convincing her to let him help her through her grieving. 

\- Varric, like i said, becomes viscount of Kirkwall. he never sees real Bianca again, but man's got friends and responsibilities and maybe he never falls in love, but he's never lacking it. any time he seems sad, Hawke shows up with enough booze to kill a giant and they get hammered. healthy, maybe not. fun, certainly. (also, Stroud stayed in the fade. clearly. u kno, bc Hawke isn't dead.)

\- Advisers: Leliana became the next Divine, but never really stopped being a spymaster, too. she's reforming the Chantry and helping Solas and Aries when she has spare time. Cullen and Josie stayed at Skyhold to manage the inquisition; luckily for them, the new Divine trained a replacement for herself.

i think that's everyone in canon time for original characters

aries's roommate at the beginning of the fic - lived. stayed in skyhold.

the other healers - improved and eventually became Aries's "hands," as when she was away, someone had to be in charge and on top of things.

am i forgetting people? probably!

* * *

 

right after the last chapter?

well, in hushed whispers happens. they get back and then haven's immediately attacked, you know. Ava goes to Whoop Some Ass, falls into like, a mineshaft or whatever that was, but this time, Aries is freaking the fuck out over where she is. she and Solas leave the main group to look for her and find her right when she's coming out of that cave. they regroup with the rest of the inquisition and head toward Skyhold after some emergency healing. the entire time they're looking for her, Aries and Solas are wolves, because it's cold as shit and they need to be able to hear things. they find her as wolves and lead her back to the group without changing. Ava is too injured and confused to realize that that's not quite normal, and doesn't even actually remember it happening until the first time she sees the pair as wolves again. she really thought she just had a weird hallucination of the Dread Wolf saving her life, which is also what happened.

originally, before i decided to end the fic where i did, i was considering having Aries and Solas split off to look for Ava and then get lost themselves. they find her, but can't find the group, and end up travelling to Skyhold separately. it's fortunate that Aries made Solas tell the advisers where they needed to go before they left to search.

* * *

 

i also had a kinda . . . vague idea that i wanted to happen but wasn't sure how to execute.

the basis of it would be that Mythal still gave up (?) her life or whatever to Solas (i dont know what happened in that cutscene really, so it could be literally any other way of Solas regaining some of his former power) but this time he shares, so he and Aries both end up as like, demigods. neither is a powerful as Solas is in Trespasser, but they're both far more than what a normal mage could achieve. this has the benefit of both of them having conditional immortality (wasn't sure on that. a lot of this one is super vague in my head). 

new legends based on their exploits and shit in tevinter reinforce the "god" status of the Dread Wolf in the eyes of the elves, but now it's the Dread Wolves, and they're depicted as being two sides of the same coin, Fen'harel and Fen'saota (i literally just made that using a translator. wolf-marriage; i was going for "wife" but apparently that isn't really a thing. falon'saota apparently means spouse, i think?), the gods of rebellion and freedom, respectively. those that don't want to let go of their idea of Fen'harel claim that he's tricking Aries, but most people accept that Fen'saota has stolen the Dread Wolf's heart and wrapped him around her little finger while she was at it.

it's pretty weird for Ava's clan when they come visit, though. after all, they're never there at the same time, unwilling to both leave their operations for so long (who knows what Sera would get up to without them there to curb her more daring ideas) and they never acknowledge that they're actual, literal gods. bood.

Aries bitches at Solas until he agrees to teach other people elvhen, for the purpose of using it within their organization instead of speaking in "code." (eventually she gets him to teach the dalish, too, but this is like, WAY later. like, the slaves are free and they don't need to use code anymore, later.)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wassup, thanks for coming to my ted talk. if u have any specific questions, feel free to ask in the comments or on my tumblr (sheisnotalavellan.tumblr.com and i am absolutely appalled and offended that no one told me that i'd made a typo, but it's fixed now) and i'll answer/edit them into here if i remember to.
> 
> thank you all so much for coming on this fuckin journey with me. i'm so much less angry than when i sat down and wrote the first chapter of this, and i feel like i've improved as an author and a person over the months. yeet, right? i went from "oh no i could never write a fanfic" to "holy shit, i finished my fanfic, oh god" - and now i'm the friend that writes "bad porn" (i'm looking at you, frabnab and anth, and my porn is not bad, and you both know it) (anth doesn't even read this) (how's he supposed to judge the quality of my smut without reading it) (bitch) (im gonna have to like, screenshot this callout and send it to him)
> 
> maybe i'll write something shorter, now, for homestuck. homestuck, in my 2018/2019? it's more likely than you think!


End file.
